Fenlong Festival celebrated in Huanjiang

The Maonans mostly reside in the mountainous regions in the south of China. They have their own language, but do not have letters. Now Chinese is used as the language of communication. Most of them believe in Taoism and worship the multi-deities.

The festivals of the Maonans include the Temple Festival in May of the lunar calendar, the Ancestor Worship Festival on the Tomb-Sweeping Day and the Bird Freeing Activity on the Lantern Festival.

There are two obvious features of Maonan festivals, that is, they worship their ancestors, and hold the antiphonal singing party.

Fenlong Festival

The Maonans in the Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County in Guangxi hold a traditional festival around the Summer Solstice of each year -- the Fenlong Festival, also called as the Temple Festival. It takes place in May of the lunar calendar each year. It is said that the dragon in the Heaven will supply water during this season to facilitate farmers' plowing so as to have a bumper harvest. The name came from the day when the dragon supplied water.

During the festival, no matter men or women, young or old, they dress themselves up. The young daughter-in-laws will go back to their parents' home for family reunion. They collect flowers and maple leaves to cook five-color sticky rice and worship the Supernatural Farmer in the field with sticky rice and meat hoping for a good weather and a bumper harvest.

People also wrap the five-color rice and meat with a sort of large fan-shaped leave and visit friends and relatives for the festal celebration.

The Fenlong Festival is also the day where young men and girls gather and date. The contents of the entertainment include antiphonal singing, etc. But nowadays, besides the worship to the ancestors and antiphonal singing, they also organize the contests of entertainments and sports.