The Miao minority group residing in the beautiful mountainous area of southwestern China has many interesting festivals and holidays all year round. If you visit them during their holidays, you will see their fabulous silver jewelry the local women wear from head to foot. The famous Fishing Festival held in April is an exciting day for people to go fishing.
The day before the festival, Miao people collect special leaves from a mountain and mash them. Mashed leaves can be used to catch fishes in the river by putting them to sleep. Old people burn incense to remember their ancestors, and young women get busy grinding bean curd and preparing delicious food for the next day.
On the morning of the festival, men go fishing with big harpoons on their shoulders. Women carry a basket with food and wine. They dress themselves with colorful costumes and beautiful silver jewelry, and follow their men behind. After arriving at the river, women put food and wine at the riverside and wait there.
Standing on both sides of the river, men hold their big harpoons in hands. One man in the group murmurs a prayer, and throws a handful of mashed leaves into the river. Following him, all men put their mashed leaves into the river. Right after this a huge black dragon appear on the surface, which is in fact the appearance of hundreds of fish that have been narcotized by the leaves.
Men pitch their big harpoons onto the dragon, and dozens of fishes are killed. With the dragon pursued in the water, people shout and laugh. The scene seems to be a battlefield.
In a few hours, every man has got lots of fish. They bring the fish to the women, who have got everything ready for cooking the fish. Cooked with water from the river, the fish tastes excellent with a natural fragrance.
People eat, drink, and exchange toasts. Some young people sing songs to express their love.
Fishing Festival came from a ceremony of praying for rain. It's said that a god living in the heaven had a lovely daughter. One day the princess was ill seriously. She tried lots of medication, but none of them could work for her. In a dream, the god was informed that a soup cooked with one hundred different fishes from a river could heal the princess. So he immediately sent people to find these fishes and cook them in a soup. After drinking the soup, the princess got better soon. The god was grateful to the fishes, and he gave orders to protect the fishes. Nobody was allowed to kill the fish in the river. Moreover, he required all the rain to go to the river, but not to the soil.
Without rain, plants were dying away, and people couldn't live on their farmland. So people slaughtered sheep, oxen, and pigs to hold a sacrifice ceremony to pray for rain. But this didn't work at all. When all sheep, pigs and oxen are slaughtered, people had to catch carps, chubs, salmon, and giant salamanders as sacrifices.
After the god learnt that his fishes were killed, he felt so sad and cried. He cried for 3 days. His tears became rain upon the earth, and irrigated the plants.
Since then, the Miao always went to slaughter fishes when they needed rain. This later evolved into the Fishing Festival.
Tourists who visit the Miao areas are all attracted by the local people's interesting custom, and glistening silver jewelry.
The day before the festival, Miao people collect special leaves from a mountain and mash them. Mashed leaves can be used to catch fishes in the river by putting them to sleep. Old people burn incense to remember their ancestors, and young women get busy grinding bean curd and preparing delicious food for the next day.
On the morning of the festival, men go fishing with big harpoons on their shoulders. Women carry a basket with food and wine. They dress themselves with colorful costumes and beautiful silver jewelry, and follow their men behind. After arriving at the river, women put food and wine at the riverside and wait there.
Standing on both sides of the river, men hold their big harpoons in hands. One man in the group murmurs a prayer, and throws a handful of mashed leaves into the river. Following him, all men put their mashed leaves into the river. Right after this a huge black dragon appear on the surface, which is in fact the appearance of hundreds of fish that have been narcotized by the leaves.
Men pitch their big harpoons onto the dragon, and dozens of fishes are killed. With the dragon pursued in the water, people shout and laugh. The scene seems to be a battlefield.
In a few hours, every man has got lots of fish. They bring the fish to the women, who have got everything ready for cooking the fish. Cooked with water from the river, the fish tastes excellent with a natural fragrance.
People eat, drink, and exchange toasts. Some young people sing songs to express their love.
Fishing Festival came from a ceremony of praying for rain. It's said that a god living in the heaven had a lovely daughter. One day the princess was ill seriously. She tried lots of medication, but none of them could work for her. In a dream, the god was informed that a soup cooked with one hundred different fishes from a river could heal the princess. So he immediately sent people to find these fishes and cook them in a soup. After drinking the soup, the princess got better soon. The god was grateful to the fishes, and he gave orders to protect the fishes. Nobody was allowed to kill the fish in the river. Moreover, he required all the rain to go to the river, but not to the soil.
Without rain, plants were dying away, and people couldn't live on their farmland. So people slaughtered sheep, oxen, and pigs to hold a sacrifice ceremony to pray for rain. But this didn't work at all. When all sheep, pigs and oxen are slaughtered, people had to catch carps, chubs, salmon, and giant salamanders as sacrifices.
After the god learnt that his fishes were killed, he felt so sad and cried. He cried for 3 days. His tears became rain upon the earth, and irrigated the plants.
Since then, the Miao always went to slaughter fishes when they needed rain. This later evolved into the Fishing Festival.
Tourists who visit the Miao areas are all attracted by the local people's interesting custom, and glistening silver jewelry.
About the Author:
C. Liu has been writing about sterling silver jewelry, for years. Sometimes she supports the work of select Miao artisans. Click over to her website to see great examples of Miao silver jewelry.
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