There once was a man so young,A golden peacock from the mountains he'd captured,To give to a hard-working girl, his beloved one.Like the peacock,She dressed herself from head to toe -A tall bun on her head, like the bird's crown;A dazzling skirt, like the bird's feathers.And like the peacock, she spread her skirt."- Ancient Miao mountain songDURING the third lunar month in Shidong, Taijiang County in Southeast Guizhou Province, everyone cooks up a storm! A storm of glutinous rice that is - dyed in several colors and formed into balls, then wrapped in handkerchiefs or put inside small baskets. Who would go to all this trouble and for what possible reason?The Miao minority "Sisters' Rice Festival" is a celebration of spring and of love. Dressed in finest embroidered and appliqued clothing, adorned in all their freshly shined silver jewelry, young women set out to attract a suitable mate. That's the traditional goal, but fun is the name of the game! Two, sometimes three, festival days are filled with dancing, singing, eating, drinking lots of rice wine, watching bull fights and cockfights, and horse racing. During this time, if young people fall madly in love...the festival is even better!It is said that the Miao originated from the egg of a butterfly that emerged from a maple tree. The butterfly married a bubble and laid twelve eggs. A mythical bird called the Jiyu watched over the eggs for twelve years and finally they hatched into a Miao man known as Jiangyang, a Thunder God known as Leigong, a water buffalo, snake, dragon, tiger, centipede, elephant and four other omens. All of these symbols are found in the exquisite embroidery and colorful decoration of these artistically talented people.The Miao are, for the most part, mountain people. Their traditional way of life is that of hunter and gatherer. They would clear mountain sides to plant crops and as the land became less productive, move from mountainside to mountainside, thereby migrating from central China to the south, all the way to Hainan Island and even into Burma and other parts of Southeast Asia.Today the majority of Miao live in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. Because of their migratory ways, the Miao have developed local tribal customs. And so you will find over one hundred different styles of dress and many local festivals that have a unique village heritage.However, the Sisters' Rice Festival in Shidong brings villagers from many remote mountain areas together in search of a mate. A kaleidoscope of colors, local customs and traditions, signature costumes and hairstyles provide a never-ending fashion show.The festival always begins with special family meals. Sharing traditional foods such as rice that has been colored with the dyes of different leaves, berries and flowers, then cooked in bamboo tubes, and homemade rice wine, is similarly practised among the many Miao tribes. Some of the dyed rice is molded into balls that hold hidden treasures. These rice balls are presented to the young men who come to visit, and each treasure has a different meaning. Pine needles mean "You should give me embroidery needles." and corn silk is a suggestion of fine yarn. A thorn tells the lucky fellow "You are the one!" Chopsticks or red flower pistils say, "Let's marry quickly -- the sooner the better." And a single chopstick, some garlic or chili means, "Find someone else!"Also in anticipation of the Sisters' Rice Festival, the grandmothers, mothers and other female relatives polish and shine the collection of silver neck rings, bracelets, anklets, earrings, hair pins and combs, rings and pendants, phoenix crowns and headpieces that the young courting-age girls will wear. The Miao believe that silver, representing light, dispels evil spirits. Silver is also a symbol of wealth and beauty, and some young women wear several kilograms of it at one time.Dazzling embroidered skirts, blouses, aprons and jackets are decorated with many different tooled silver ornaments. Pretty necks are e
More summaries about the LOVE IS IN THE AIR at the SISTERS' RICE FESTIVAL