Hechi village worships cattle in ancient rite

A Niuhun Festival folk activity site. [Photo/Hechi Daily]

The Zhuang ethnic group in Gulan village, Nandan county, Hechi hosted a variety of celebrations on April 17 to mark the Niuhun (Soul of the Cattle) Festival.

This ancient custom is mainly spread along the Hongshui River basin of Guangxi, with Gulan village serving as a typical example. It is one of several festivals that reflect the traditional farming culture of the Zhuang people, and was selected as a representative project of the intangible cultural heritage of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in December 2018.

On the day of the festival, local people express their gratitude for the important role cattle play in farming and production.

Zong Chengcai, the Party secretary of Gulan village, said the scale of the Niuhun Festival has been expanding since 2013. Continuous development over the past decade have promoted the growth of the local cultural and tourism industry, driving the construction of new infrastructure in the village year by year.