Zhuang custom: throwing hydrangea balls

Hydrangea ball throwing is generally held during the song fair festival. The hydrangea is round, on cloth, embroidered with flowers and birds, and contains crops such as kapok or beans and rice. The four corners are decorated with colored cloth belts for holding and throwing. When playing, men and women are divided into two pairs, and the number of people on both sides is equal. The men and women are separated by a certain distance, and each side is lined up. Each side has a "Yi Tong", that is, the leader, and a high pole is planted in the middle to serve as the height standard for throwing the ball.

When throwing the ball, the woman's team leader first holds the hydrangea ball and throws the ball out after singing a folk song. If the man can catch it, the man will win, otherwise the woman will win. Whoever wins removes one player from the opponent, and then the winner serves. Every time a ball is served, a folk song must be sung first, and this takes turns until one side is "completely annihilated."

At this time, the winning side chased the losing side, snatched the other side's headscarf and handkerchief, chased each other and played, and then dispersed. Zhu Fu's "Laughing at the Crest of the Creek" in the Song Dynasty records: "For a few days after the local customs festival, men and women in the wild were divided into two pairs of friends, each with five-color colored bags of beans and millet to throw back and forth." This activity is also a way for young men and women to convey their feelings. If the girl takes a fancy to a young man, she will deliberately throw away the hydrangea. The man takes the hydrangea and if he also has affection, he will tie a gift on the hydrangea and throw it in return.