Overview of Dong traditional festivals

The Dong people are a nation with multiple festivals, with twelve months in a year, with festivals on the month and month. There are many festivals, and the festival activities are also very rich. It is known as the "Thousand Festival Nation"! Dong's festivals include festivals common to other ethnic groups, as well as traditional festivals unique to their own ethnic groups. Festivals common to other ethnic groups mainly include Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Society Day, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Ghost Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, etc.

Traditional festivals unique to the Dong ethnic group mainly include the "Weiye" Festival in the first month, the Sweet Vine Cake Festival in February, the Song Festival and the Tuwang Festival in March, the Black Rice Festival in April, the Zongba Festival in May, the Taste New Festival in June, the "Yellow Festival" in July, the Lusheng Festival in August, the Bitter Wine Festival in September, the Fragrance Festival in October, the Dong Year in November, the Aunt Festival in the twelfth lunar month, etc. The traditional festivals of the Dong nationality are more colorful in content. According to the content, they can be divided into three categories: production and life festivals, sacrificial festivals, commemorative festivals, and social and entertainment festivals. Production and living festivals are related to farming activities, and their main purpose is to make people remember that a certain farming event begins as soon as the festival is over.

Dong people's sacrifice to sa is also known as sacrifice to their ancestors. The traditional festival of the Dong people in Guandong District, Congjiang County, Guizhou Province is also a grand Dong sacrificial festival, held on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year. When the rooster enlightens the sky, the Dong people blow the sheng and fire the gun. The village old man in charge of the Holy Mother Church opens the gate and sets out chickens, wine, tea, fragrant paper, etc. for sacrificial activities. "Sa" means grandma in Dong language. It is said that the sacrifice to Sa is to commemorate Xing Ni, the ancient Dong heroine. Xingni was a strong and brave girl. She once organized the Dong family to resist the oppression of the imperial court. Later, she was besieged by the imperial court soldiers in the Jiucangyan area of Congjiang County. Xingni was unyielding and jumped off a cliff to die. Later, she turned into a rock to protect the Dong family village.

In memory of this Dong hero, people respectfully called her "Sa" and established "grandma halls" in each village. Each grandma hall was provided with a nine-story rock to symbolize receiving Xingni to our village. In the past, if a disaster occurred in a certain village, another rock would be picked up from Jiucangyan and offered it, and a grand sacrifice would be held to pray for grandma Xingni's blessing. After breakfast on the first day of the first day, the whole village gathered in Gulou Ping in full costumes. The young men wore green clothes, white trousers, and red turbans, embroidered bags with the word "Sheng" on their backs, and held shotguns, knives, and spears under the command of the village elders. Kill the enemy drills until noon. During the triumphant victory, one must pull a rice straw in the field and hang it in front of the community hall to show the enemy's head. After the exercise, young men and women of the Dong nationality will also sing and dance to have fun. Pregnant women are prohibited from participating in the festival and are not allowed to enter Gulou Ping.

Dong Chao Long, Guizhou Province, a traditional festival of the Dong people in Nanming area of Jianhe County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. The time is on the third day of the first lunar month every year. On this day, the entire Dong village will go to the designated location of the "dragon vein" in the village to hold a dragon worship ceremony. The dragon was officially released on the fourth night of the first lunar month. The dragon lantern team went to houses without boys in the village and in other villages to send off the "dragon sons". The families of the "dragon sons" should make preparations in advance. As soon as the dragon lantern team arrived, every family in the village burned incense, paper, and fired cannons to welcome the dragon lanterns. After the "dragon head" who sent the "dragon son" finished reading the auspicious order congratulating the new dragon son next year, the Dong families on Jielong Village asked to invite dragon lantern players to their homes and entertain them warmly.

The Dong people who seek "dragon sons" are even more enthusiastic. They want to prepare several tables of banquets and invite them to eat and drink. The main topic of conversation is Zhu Delongzi. If a boy is really born the next year, both the giver and the giver will feel honored. The family who has given the baby will bring gifts such as hens, red eggs, sugar and wine to the lamp home where the "dragon son" is given to report to "Grandma Dragon". The "dragon head" should tell the lanterns to prepare clothes, hats, shoes, socks, backpacks and other things to prepare for the "dragon son" next Spring Festival. During the Spring Festival of the following year, the lamp holder must inform in advance of the date when the "Dragon Grandma" of the Dong family who received the dragon's son would come to congratulate her. At that time, when the dragon lantern team arrived at the stockade, they first recited the auspicious orders from house to house, and then went to the home of the "dragon son" to present gifts and congratulations. The host gave him a warm welcome.

Dong Live Festival is a traditional folk festival of the Dong people. Every year on the second day of the first lunar month, it was held in Baojing area of Zhenyuan County, Guizhou Province. It was a grand gathering before spring ploughing. There are nine Dong villages in Beijing area. According to traditional customs, four well-organized and authoritative adult Dong men should be elected to handle important local affairs, two of whom are living heads, that is, in charge of agricultural activities. It is the local custom to stop labor production from the 30th of the twelfth lunar month every year. Early in the morning, the head of the living way solemnly announced that all labor tools would be sealed. All Dong households would put plows, harrows, spinning wheels, hoes and other agricultural tools on seals until the festival of living way, so that everyone could have a free New Year.

On the morning of the Live Path Festival, the Dong people gathered happily. The leader of the Live Path placed a bundle of tender grass with green buds on the designated field dam. Men, women and children in the Dong villages wore festive costumes and blew lusheng to the field dam. After three rounds of iron cannons, the leader of the Live Path drove oxen to support the plow and performed plowing the soil; then he dug a nest with a hoe and planted several clusters of tender thatch in the freshly plowed soil, symbolizing the prosperity of rice seedlings. When the Lusheng was played, everyone gathered around the young crops, circled around them, and danced a happy Lusheng dance. Rain or shine, it will not change over the years. In the afternoon of that day, every household of the Dong nationality tore off the seals on farm tools and planted several thickets of tender thatch in their vegetable gardens, symbolizing the groundbreaking and spring plowing, and wishing them a bumper harvest year. At night, Dong women are busy weaving and spinning. The next day, spring plowing officially began.

Dong Fireworks Festival Fireworks Festival is a traditional festival of the Dong people. The festivals vary depending on the region. The Chengyang area is held on the third day of the first month. The Meilin area will be held on the second day of February, and the Doujiang area will be held on February 15. Activities during the festival are rich and lively. There are traditional events such as cannon racing, cockfighting, and cannon grabbing, as well as modern events such as ball games. Of course, the most attractive thing is cannon grabbing, which is the climax of the festival. According to the custom of the Dong people, fireworks symbolize a good harvest of grain, happiness and well-being. The person who steals the fireworks will have this blessing. Over time, fireworks grabbing gradually became a pure Dong entertainment activity.

The so-called "fireworks" is an iron ring wrapped with red and green threads on the outside. The gun used to fire the iron ring is a straight-bore iron gun powered by gunpowder. Before the firing, many Dong fireworks raiders entered the competition area one after another. There were a crowd of people outside the competition area, all of them watching the excitement. With a "roar", the cannon sounded, and the gunners swarmed towards the landing point of the iron ring, twisting into a ball in the blink of an eye. According to regulations, the winner must bring the iron ring to the "report battery", verify that it is correct and beat the drum and gong before counting. The process of grabbing newspapers in this way can take at least ten minutes to several hours.

Dong people rush to the club is a traditional festival for the folk Dong people. The fifth fifth day after the beginning of spring and the fifth day after the beginning of autumn are held every year. On this day of the festival, the Dong people eat "social food". Before eating, everyone should drink some salt water and avoid knives. The community site for rushing out is set up on the Pingba outside the village. Dong compatriots from Baling, four townships, exchange agricultural and sideline products and buy things here. The affectionate Dong girls dressed in new clothes, silver ornaments, and side belts, with bright smiles on their faces, and warmly invited the young men to have lunch so as to understand each other and establish feelings. In the evening, the girls invited the young man to the village to have dinner, and then they sang enthusiastically. Other Dong people slaughtered pigs and sheep, drank wine, and burned incense and made sacrifices to eliminate disasters.

Dong bird fighting, folk Dong traditional entertainment festival. It is held on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar every year. There is a legend among the Dong people in Sangdi: A long time ago, there was a girl named Nianghua who married the Son of the Sun in the sky on February 2, and was extradited by hundreds of birds bridging a bridge in the air to complete the marriage. But the thrush was unwilling to participate in this activity, so the birds wanted to punish it and lock it in a cage for people to entertain. Later, it gradually evolved into an annual bird fight. The bird fight was presided over by a highly respected Dong elderly person elected by everyone. At that time, men, old and young, would gather at the bird fighting ground with their cages. After choosing their own objects, they would first fight the two birds apart from each other. After fighting to a certain extent, they would open the cages and let them fight against each other. The onlookers kept cheering and the atmosphere was very warm. After taking turns to fight hard, the winner will be the champion, and the winner can participate in a larger bird fight as a local representative of the Dong nationality.

Dong Bullfighting Festival is also known as "bullfighting". Traditional festivals of the folk Dong people are also entertainment festivals. It is usually held on the second and eighth months of the lunar calendar. It is said that Hai Day is the most just day. In Dong Township, each Dong village has a fighting "Buffalo King" who is raised in Gulou Ping under special care. Honey, lard, liquor, etc. are often added to the feed they eat. Before the bullfight, Dong villages invited each other's opponents, which is commonly known as "sending gifts." Three days before the festival, people beat gongs, drums and fireworks in front of the Ox King's "palace" to hold a big banquet, commonly known as the Ox King's "nourishing the heart". At noon, the Ox King began to "step on the field". In front of the bullfighting teams, there was a young Dong man dressed in bright cloth, dancing a sign with the name of the cow king on it to open the way.

The "Ox King" is covered with red satin on its head and the "Ox King Tower" with "Double Dragons Seizing Treasures" on its back. The tower is equipped with four-sided flag and a pair of 5-foot-long golden pheasant tails. A string of silver bells hangs on its chest. It is pulled by two young men dressed in emerald green clothes, wrapped in red handkerchiefs, and holding handles that hold the cow's nose. A young man following the "Ox King" was carrying a large wooden sign with words such as "Da Ping Wang" written on it to represent the name of the "Ox King". Finally, there was a team holding trimmed triangular bunting. The branches on the top of the flagpole are covered with five-color chicken feathers, which is very spectacular. The entire team was vast and circled the field three times.

After stepping on the field, the bullfight began. Each team held their own cow king, lit torches, and entered from both ends. When the iron cannon sounded, the torch was thrown forward. The man of Qiulan let go, and the two cow kings soared into the sky with four hooves and rushed forward. The two oxen blended into one, the bullring was filled with smoke and smoke, and the cheering gongs were fired. If there is no winner in a long battle, the younger generation will take thick ropes and tie the Ox King's feet and pull them back to relieve the fight between the two sides, and it will be a draw. One side lost, and the loser's bunting was taken away by the other girl. The victorious Ox King once again demonstrated around the field amid the sound of Lusheng, dressed in red and fired guns. A few days later, a Dong girl from afar came to return the flag to the defeated Ox King. The younger generation warmly welcomed them and sang big songs with them for a few days. When parting, a betrothal gift for redemption of the flag was also given.

Dong Wrestling Festival is a traditional festival of the Dong people. held on february 15 and march 15 of the lunar calendar. In the early morning of the festival, all the Dong students who participated in wrestling should go to the grandmother altar to listen to the old Ming teaching wrestling precepts and recall the origin of the wrestling festival. After breakfast, Dong athletes who participated in wrestling blew the Lusheng and stepped down to the wrestling ring under the leadership of the village old man. A grand wrestling ceremony will be held before the competition. Then, according to traditional customs, the Dong village elders exchanged wrestling cloth belts, wrapped them around each other's armpits, and performed another wrestling move. After three cannons were fired, the wrestling began. The wrestlers in the field bowed to each other and wrapped the cloth belts given by the village old man around each other's armpits. The referee said,"Rise", and the players bowed and twisted. They all wanted to bring each other down. The audience continued to cheer for both sides, and the scene was very lively.

Dong worshiping ancestral souls, Zhenyuan County, Guizhou Province, reports on Dong festivals in Beijing. Held on the first day of the third month of the lunar calendar every year. On this morning, every household of the Dong nationality would go to the ancestral tomb to sweep the tomb and hang green trees to commemorate the ancestral soul. The offerings used to worship the ancestors include white meat slices, white water eggs, rice wine and brown handles. After the Dong people arrived at the cemetery, they placed the sacrifices they had brought and lit incense to turn them into paper coins, praying for the souls of their ancestors to bless the safety of their family and the smooth progress of everything.

The Dong people's traditional festival on March 3 lasts for five days. It is held every year from the first to the fifth day of the third month of the lunar calendar. It comes from two ancient Dong legends: First, it is said that March 3rd is a sowing festival: a long time ago, the Dong people in Beijing lived far away, where people planted grain according to the days when tung trees bloomed, and the seedlings grew well. neat and strong. So the Dong people set the rule that the day when the tung trees bloom is the sowing festival. But one year, the tung trees did not bloom until the Dragon Boat Festival. The Dong family missed the sowing date and failed to harvest, so they had to flee the famine.

Since then, the Dong family learned a lesson. From January to March to March, people will play Lusheng and sing folk songs, which means to remind each other that it is time to harvest Lusheng and busy farming. From then on, the Dong family no longer missed the season. Second, it is said that March 3rd is a festival for love. It is called the "Lou Opera Festival": Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Dong girl, Liang Ying, who fell in love with Qiao Sheng, a hard-working and simple person in our village. Qiao Sheng's family was poor, but Liangying's parents hated the poverty and loved the rich, so they forced their daughter to a rich family and forced Liangying to get married on March 4th.

But Liangying is loyal to Qiao Sheng. On March 3rd, Liangying picked up half a basket of fish and shrimp and beaten half a basket of onions and garlic, and met Qiao Sheng under the ancient Moga tree next to Jintang Cave. Unexpectedly, they were discovered by the rich family. The rich villain exerted a lot of power on them, insulting them in all kinds of ways and beating them with sticks. A couple of lovers were furious and furious, so after each made a pair of deep shoe prints under the Moga tree, they jumped into the rock hand in hand and died in the gold rush pool.

Later, every March 3, young people would come to the Moga tree to see the pair of footprints, blow Lusheng, and sing folk songs. The girls also imitated Liangying and sent baskets and onions to their lovers. Over time, a fixed festival was formed.

On the first day of March, Dong housewives get busy. They make new clothes, grind tofu, and prepare wine and vegetables. On the second day of March, the girls invited each other to the river to catch fish and shrimp, and prepared a picnic with the boys on the slope. The third day of March is the climax of the festival. In the early morning, the Dong girls dressed up carefully and went to the vegetable garden to pick green onions and garlic seedlings to wash them. Then they gathered under the Moga tree, surrounded by onlookers. At this time, the Dong young men came forward in public to ask for a basket from the girl they wanted. The winner will be greeted with a burst of admiration, and the young man and the girl can secretly agree on a time to return the basket.

When returning the basket, the young man would give sugar, cloth or silk thread back to the girl. A young man who cannot get a basket will attract ridicule from onlookers. At noon that day, Dong people would gather in the center of the village to sing and dance wildly. A grand masquerade ball will be held on the fourth day of March. People wear various masks and sing and dance to their heart's content. On the afternoon of the fifth day of the lunar new day, a farewell ceremony will be held for guests from neighboring villages who come to watch. After the ceremony, all festival activities will end.

Dong Fengyan Song Festival Tianzhu Dong Area Song Festival, Guizhou Province. It is held on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar every year, so it is also known as the Third March Song Festival. It is a traditional festival of the Dong people. It comes from an ancient Dong legend: It is said that a long time ago, there was a Dong young man named Tian Lang in Longtang Dong Village, and there was a Dong girl named Mei La in Diwang Dong Village. Both of them were famous singers who sang and fell in love. But neither of their parents agreed to the marriage. Tian Lang's parents forced him to marry his uncle's cousin, and Mei La's parents forced her to marry the powerful Sun family. The two were extremely anxious. One day, they met to come to Fengyanpo and sang sad songs for three days and three nights, and then sang separation songs for seven days and seven nights.

The song moved the mountain gods, who protected them; the song moved all the birds, who sang along for them. Just as the Sun family chased after them with clubs and were about to kill them, there was a loud "boom" sound, lightning flashed and thunder, and the wind was fierce. The Sun family gangsters were burned by lightning, and Tian Lang and Mei La also disappeared: After that, Tian Lang's 18 brothers with different surnames rushed here, and Mei La's 18 sisters with different surnames also came here. They shouted loudly in unison. Gradually, two rocks like Tian Lang and Mei La appeared on Fengyan Slope. This was the "scenery rock". Eighteen pairs of young Dong men and women sang "nostalgia songs" around Fengguang Rock for three days and three nights, and then they became married. From then on, on the third day of March every year, young men and women of the Dong nationality in this area will gather to sing duet songs in Fengguang Rock to commemorate Tian Lang and Meila.

Dong Dance Spring Ox, also known as "Naochun Ox", is a folk Dong festival in Longsheng Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is held every year on the beginning of spring.Cattle farming are the "life" of the Dong family. Therefore, they have a deep love for cattle farming and are particularly pious for cattle farming. On this day, every Dong household will repair the fences for the cattle, bring the cattle back from the mountains, add grass, glutinous rice handles and other good feed, and sprinkle some wine. The skilled Dong people are also busy breaking bamboo ribbons, shooting lanterns, and making props for dancing spring cattle.

In the evening, the Dong Village is buzzing with gongs and drums, and people are surging. At the front of the team are two lanterns with the two characters "Li" and "Spring" written on them respectively. Behind them are the "Spring Ox" danced by two young men. The cow's head is made of bamboo woven paper paste and hung with big red flowers. The cow's body is made of cotton fabric and has the shape of fluffy cow hair. Behind the "Spring Ox" is a group of farmers and peasant women who play the role. They carried plows and harrows, carried wooden barrels, delivered tea and rice, and caught fish and shrimp. All of them were full of fun. This team, representing the whole village, dances the "spring" cow to every household, symbolizing the delivery of auspicious spring cow and the coming year's bumper harvest to every household.

Every time he arrives at a household, the lead dancer will say a few auspicious words to the master, such as "Spring Ox comes to the door, the weather is smooth", etc. The master will smile, set off firecrackers for the "Spring Ox", and present sugar, red envelopes, etc., to show that the "Spring Ox" is healthy and safe. After turning to the Dong families in the village, the "Spring Ox" team came to the open space in the village to hold the Spring Ox Dance. Accompanied by gongs and drums, farming dances such as harrowing fields, fertilizing, and sowing were danced. The onlookers applauded and applauded the "Spring Ox" while asking some questions about farming knowledge with songs. The "Spring Ox" answered with songs. At this point, the Spring Ox Dance turned into a lively duet activity. You asked and I answered, and you sang and I sang. The content was mostly about farming and solar terms, and the scene was very lively.

Dong Tuwang Festival Tuwang Festival is a social day for Dong men and women in Guangxi Dong Autonomous County. It is also a traditional festival for the Dong people. It is held two or three days before the lunar rain and lasts for one day. Legend has it that in ancient times, 18 Dong couples died before Qingming Festival in order to resist the shackles of feudal marriage customs. The song and dance form held in memory of them gradually evolved into this festival. On this day every year, activities are held in Tuwangpo, not far from the Dong village. At that time, eating tea brewing will be the most ethnic activity. Some strung ripe tea bubbles into circles with rattan and put them around the girl's neck; some girls were suddenly "tested" and swallowed the bitter tea bubbles that had not yet been undressed to show their loyalty to love.

Dong Girls 'Day Girls' Day is a festival for ethnic minorities on the border between Hunan, Guizhou and Guizhou. It is also a festival for the Dong people. It is held every year on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar. It is said that this festival comes from the Dong nationality surname Yang. There is a legend about Girls 'Day: Long ago, the brother of Dong heroine Yang Bamei was imprisoned in Neluo City in Liuzhou after failing to lead people to resist the oppression of the court, and sentenced to beheading after autumn. Yang Bamei went to visit the prison and knew that her brother's courage was still there, but he didn't have enough food every day and had no strength. Yang Bamei made a plan and went home to cook three buckets of six-liter rice. She gave it to her brother on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. After eating, her brother gained strength and broke free from the shackles and rushed out of Nero City with Bamei. Yang Bamei fired a roaring arrow at the top of the city, summoned the ambush they had brought, defeated Liuzhou City and achieved victory. In order to commemorate this female hero of the Dong nationality of the Yang family, the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar is celebrated as Girls 'Day. On this day, all the married girls of the Yang family would return to their parents 'homes to make black rice and black rice pine cakes with their sisters to celebrate the festival. Married girls also bring some black rice and magnetic handles when they go back and distribute them to relatives and friends with other surnames to share the festive delicacies.

Dong Mulberry Picking Festival Traditional Dong Festival in Xiaoguang area of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is held on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar every year, and some Dong people also hold it earlier on the fourth day of the fourth month. Regarding the origin of this festival, there is a legend among the local Dong people: Long ago, there was a young Dong man in the Xiaoguang area who went to the hillside to herd cattle and sing every day. There is a hardworking and beautiful Dong girl nearby. She comes to the mountains every day to pick mulberry leaves. The young man's beautiful singing voice deeply moved her, so she started singing to each other. They sang in tune every day and gradually developed feelings. The girl raised a lot of silkworms. On the eighth day of April, the girl led a group of sisters up the mountain to pick mulberry leaves. After the younger generation found out, he invited many young men to help. Everyone talked and laughed and was very happy. In order to repay the young man, the girls went to the river to fish and entertain him. This day was the happiest day for the girls and boys, and they would gather together to play and sing at this time every year. Over time, it has evolved into a fixed Dong folk festival. On this day, young men and women of the Dong nationality here dress up and go up the mountain in groups to pick mulberry leaves. The name is picking mulberry leaves, which is actually looking for the right person.

Dong people fight mud battles Dong festivals in Liping area, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. The time is before and after rice planting every year, that is, the season when seedlings are planted separately. According to the custom of the Dong people in this area, married girls will not stay at their husbands 'house for the time being. After holding the wedding ceremony, they will return to their mother's home to "sit at home". Whenever busy farming and festival days, they will be accompanied by bridesmaids to stay at their husbands' house for a few days. Some "sit at home" for several years. After the dates for planting seedlings were set, the groom's family finished the seedling field and invited a group of young men to come and help. The groom's sisters went to welcome the bride home to plant rice seedlings, and the bride would invite some female companions to go to her in-law's house. It is said to be transplanting rice seedlings, but it is actually going to participate in social and recreational activities. When the bride goes to her husband's house, she must carry a load of glutinous rice and a hundred dyed red cooked duck eggs. After breakfast the next day, young men and women of the Dong nationality surrounded the bridegroom and bride to the Tianba to plant rice seedlings. The young man and the girl competed with each other to see who could plant quickly and uniformly... When all the rice seedlings were planted, the young men used an excuse to throw mud on the girl's body. In a flash, the girls and young men lined up and threw mud at each other. If they caught each other, they would have to press down and roll in the paddy field. The groom's parents were not allowed to participate and could only watch the excitement on Tianba. The person who wears the most mud is often the person favored by the other party. After the two sides broke the truce, they came to the water stream again, washing and fighting. When the bride and bridesmaids returned home the next day, the groom's sisters would send more glutinous rice and red duck eggs to entertain the bride's family and bridesmaids.

Dong people sacrifice to the cow god, also known as "cow birthday" or "washing the cow body." It is a folk festival of the Dong nationality. The time is uncertain. Some are held on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, and some are held on the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar. As soon as the festival comes, every household of the Dong nationality kills chickens and ducks to make delicious food. The main activity of the day is to pull the cow to the river and wash away the mud on the cow's body. Then insert the wings of chickens and ducks next to the cattle pen and pray that the cattle are clean and safe.

There is a legend in the Dong nationality: A long time ago, when heaven and earth had just been formed, the Jade Emperor in the sky saw that the world could not get enough food and clothing after working all year round, so he asked the Ox Demon King to descend to the earth and tell people to have one meal a day. However, the Ox Demon King mistakenly passed on the Jade Emperor's imperial edict to eat three meals a day. In this way, the world worries about food every day, making life even more difficult. The Ox Demon King felt guilty and asked the Jade Emperor to let him descend to the earth to work for the people. On June 6 of that year, the Ox Demon King descended to the earth and worked diligently to draw plows and harrows for mankind. From then on, people's lives improved. In order to be grateful to the cattle, the Dong family decided to wash the cattle on June 6 every year and follow the festival. On this day every year, the Dong nationality adds good feed to the cattle, so that the cattle who have worked hard for a year can rest quietly.

Dong New Eating Festival is also known as "Taste New","June 6th" and "New Rice Festival." Traditional festivals of the folk Dong people. The specific time varies by place. Some Dong people are on the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, and some Dong people are on the first day of the seventh month. The content of the activities is also different. In some places, new rice, chickens, ducks and fish are cooked to sacrifice to the ancestors to express their gratitude to the ancestral spirits for protecting the harvest of crops. In some places, guests are invited to wish each other a bumper harvest. In some places, there are only several families get together to join in the fun. Some people invite married girls to go home and bring a large number of rice dumplings back to their in-laws 'homes. Dong opera is sung in most places on this day. During singing, the actors perform simple movements while singing, accompanied by Dong pipa, ox-foot violin, bells, gongs, drums and other musical instruments. The content mostly reflects the history of Dong society and Dong folklore. Because of its strong national style, it is popular among the Dong people. Bullfighting, singing and other activities will also be held on this day.

Dong Lin Wang Festival is a commemorative festival of the Dong people in the Jinping area of Guizhou Province. Held every year on June Day. This day is a day to commemorate the local Dong farmer leader Wang Lin. The name of King Lin was Lin Kuan and called himself Lin Xiaoshi. In March of the 30th year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, Lin Kuan led more than 100,000 troops and soldiers to revolt in Shangpodong, Guzhou, which is now located in Jinping County, and successively conquered several cities. Later Ming Taizu sent his sons Zhu Zhen and Zhu Bai to lead 300,000 troops to suppress the uprising.

The legendary King Lin fought bravely. After defeat, he was beheaded, but his fighting spirit did not diminish. He carried his head home, let his mother rest on her neck, and continued to fight against the government army. After repeated three times, he finally passed away on the day of June. From then on, on this day, the local Dong people will commemorate him. During the festival, Dong people must first wrap a large rice dumpling handle to pay tribute to King Lin. Then, every household of the Dong nationality had to go to the ancient maple tree to set up wine, meat, and rice dumplings to burn incense and pay homage. If there are guests visiting at this time, they must first pay homage under the ancient maple tree and sing the "Ancient Song of the King of Lin", which praises the heroic achievements of the King of Lin and has many sentences. Then the Dong elders will tell the story of the King of Lin to their descendants.

The Dong people's Dawuliang Song Festival, also known as "Dawuri" and "Dawuliang Song Festival", is a local folk traditional song festival of the Dong people in the Hunan Pass area and a traditional festival of the Dong people. Held on the 18th day before summer every year. It comes from an ancient legend: A long time ago, there was a poor boy named Menlong in Guzhou, Guizhou. Due to his poor family, he came to Tongdao Yabao, Hunan Province to farm for a rich family named Xiao. Over time, he developed a love affair with the rich man's daughter Xiao Nu. The two often went to Douwuliang Mountain to sing to each other to express their admiration. Unexpectedly, the matter was discovered by Xiao Mingyuan and he drove away Menlong. From then on, the two separated and it was difficult to meet each other.

Soon, Nv Xiao asked someone to bring a small bag to Menlong. Menlong didn't know what he meant, so he asked a singer to solve the mystery and learned that Nv Xiao had decided to marry him. Menlong was extremely excited and immediately came to Xiao's house. He boldly asked for marriage, but was rejected, and the lovers had no choice but to elope. Unfortunately, just as they were crossing the river, flash floods broke out, killing both of them, turning into two rocky peaks that leaned against each other, standing tall in the middle stream. This day is Wuyin Day.

Since then, in order to commemorate this brave couple, Dong young men and girls agreed to hold a singing party in Dawuliang on this day every year to protest against the unreasonable marriage system. There are many forms of duet at the concert. Some are singing in twos and threes to express their love for each other in the shade of the trees; some are in public, forming a song formation to hold folk song competitions; some form a circle and sing while dancing; some play the pipa and tell the stories of Menlong and Xiao Nv. In the evening, the Dong people will sing a song separately.

Dong song gathering is also called "song competition","participation hall", etc. It is a traditional festival for the Dong people. Held on the 20th of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The origins of this festival vary in legends. There is a legend among the Dong people in the Gaoba area of Jianhe County, Guizhou Province: Legend has it that more than 100 years ago, there were two very famous old people, Xiao Gong and Wu Gong, who opened a pond called Xiaojiatang in Sanxingtai. Xiao Gong had a beautiful only daughter, Xiao Yunang, who sang very well and was famous far and wide. Wu Gong's son Wu Chengzu and she often went to Xiaotang to sing against each other. On July 20, they made a solemn oath at Tangbian.

Soon, Wu Chengzu joined the Dong Uprising Army led by Jiang Yingfang and unfortunately died in a battle against the Qing soldiers. Xiao Yunang is loyal to love and will never marry. Every year on July 20, she goes to Xiaojiatang and sings her memories of her late fiance. Young men and women nearby were moved by the singing and all came to sing along. After Xiao Yunang's death, in order to commemorate her, the Dong people still come to Xiaojiatang to sing songs every year on July 20. Over time, a song festival has been formed. Now the Dong song festival is booming year by year, with rich content and diverse forms.

The Dong nationality traditional festival in Nanming and Daguang areas of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar every year. After breakfast that day, young Dong young people invited friends and carried sesame mooncakes to meet with Dong girls. The girls had arrived at the appointed place long ago and hid in the nearby grass to eavesdrop on the discussions of the young men about them. Once a careless young man slips his tongue and lets the girl hear it, his friendship will be broken or he will be ridiculed and laughed at. When the two sides meet, they will walk in pairs to the secluded place they have chosen. Both sides will describe their lovesickness and check whether the other side has changed their hearts.

Then the young man picked off the wooden leaves and laid them on the ground, respectfully invited the other party to sit down, and placed the prepared mooncakes on the ground for the girl to enjoy. While eating mooncakes, they talked about love, and dreamed about their future life, talking or singing until sunset and the birds returned to their nests. All the mooncakes that cannot be eaten are taken away by the girl. Sending mooncakes is a must-have activity for young Dong people in Nanming and Daguang areas during their love process. This activity not only allows both men and women to understand whether each other loves them from talking and singing, but also whether each other has intelligence and family background. If the man shows foul language and flirtatious behavior, the woman can take off and the relationship ends.

The Dong nationality song competition event in Liping County, Guizhou Province is a traditional festival of the Dong nationality. It is held on August 16th of the lunar calendar every year and lasts for one day. On the morning of the festival, the host village basically belonged to one Fang family based on the Drum Tower. The Dong girls dressed up and led by the old ladies who were good at singing, came to the designated place. Amid the sound of iron cannons, shotguns and firecrackers, they sat down in a square formation and began to sing. First, they must sing the traditional Dong song. The main content is to persuade young people to be filial to their parents, respect their parents-in-law, be upright, loyal to love and be honest.

At that time, young Dong people from neighboring villages will come to watch and listen. After a certain period of singing, the young men from the main village would dress up as "beggars" and ask for songs from the girls in the outer village. The girls from the other village did not refuse, because they would be prepared when they came. After they generously sang, the young men thought they could be regarded, so they went home and changed into new clothes and formally sang with the girls. After the singing, the young men would also present small gifts to the girls from the outer village to express their gratitude, and the girls took the initiative to invite the young men to visit their village. In the evening, the young men were invited to go, and the girls accompanied these young men to sing and fall in love in the song hall until late into the night. Therefore, Gangeping is a good opportunity for young men and women of the Dong nationality to get to know each other and talk about love.

Dong people send Chongyang cakes to Jianhe and other local Dong festivals in southeastern Guizhou, Guizhou Province. On the eve of the Double Ninth Day festival on the ninth lunar month every year, every household of the Dong nationality makes rice and cakes, and kills chickens and stir-fry fish. Especially the girls are busier. On the morning of the festival, the Dong girls all dressed up, holding fine lace bamboo baskets and covering them with exquisite silk embroidered roapas, and rushed to the appointed place in droves for a date. They are generally in relatively secluded dense forests, mountain streams or lawns. When the young men who had arrived as scheduled arrived, everyone pushed and gave way, and then sat in two rows according to gender for a singing dialogue. Both sides asked and answered questions, singing and singing, singing until they were exhausted.

Finally, the girls took out the carefully prepared food and placed it in pairs in front of them. They politely asked the young man to sing songs to taste it with them. The young men also politely bowed for a long time, and everyone shared it together. After they had eaten their fill, they began to sing together again until sunset. All leftover food is taken away by the young men, and when they go home, they will share it with their closest friends. Parents and brothers at home are not allowed to eat, so you have to wait patiently for your new daughter-in-law to pass through before you can appreciate her cooking skills.

Dong people's customs during the winter festival and the new year.In Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi, adjacent to Dong villages, the Winter Festival in November of the lunar calendar is a traditional festival for the Dong people. There are many places that celebrate this festival regardless of family names. However, in some places, only the Dong family surnamed Yang celebrates this festival, which is called the "Yang Festival" or "Eating Yang". Those who celebrate the festival on the first day of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar are called the "First Yang". They call their father "Ya" or "Ya"), those who celebrate the festival on the sixth day of the eleventh month are called "Chu Liu Yang", and they call their father "Fu". In some places, from the first day of November to the ninth day of November, each family member spends one day.

In some places in Guizhou, it turns from the first day of November to the end of November, so that every family can entertain relatives and friends. Some villages in Liping, Rongjiang, Congjiang, Jianhe and Jinping in Guizhou also call the "Winter Festival" the "Year of the Dong". It is common for spring glutinous rice pine cake to kill chickens and ducks, drink wine brewed in Chongyang, eat corn fish pickled during early rice harvest, and some kill sheep or kill pigs to entertain relatives and friends. There is no work on holidays, rest, banquets, and entertainment. In areas where the "Dong Year" has passed, married daughters and son-in-law have returned to their parents 'homes to pay New Year greetings to the elderly. In some places, the Dong people hold bullfighting activities.

Dong traditional festivals in adjacent areas of Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou. It is held every year on the 29th of the December lunar month, if not on the 30th. The Dong family attaches great importance to this day, so it is also called the Little Year. On this day, every family holds a ceremony to invite the spirit of their great-aunt to come back and reunite with their families, and they receive greater and more respect than usual. In addition to delicacies, each family also made a handful of sour meat and served it to their aunts and aunts as a sign of "celebrating the New Year." In order to take care of the aunts and aunts who could not drink soju, sweet wine was used to pay homage. The Dong people believe that only after honoring their aunts can people spend the New Year in peace of mind.

The Dong people keep the New Year and keep the New Year. It is also a traditional festival of the Dong people. The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month is the New Year every year. On that night, the Dong villages are brightly lit to show their prosperity. Men, women and children from all families should sit around the fire hall to watch the New Year to welcome the arrival of the new year. The whole family asked each person to drink a bowl of porridge, commonly known as "New Year's Day Rice", to show that there will be water in the fields, the mud will not be hard, and the grain harvest will be bumper in the new year. This night, young men and women in our village will talk to each other and eat "New Year's tea", but they are not allowed to sing. The New Year's tea on this day is particularly particular. The girls and daughters-in-law from each family go to Bingbian and wait for the Dong eldest brother to sacrifice to pass the well. Everyone takes a spoon to scoop water together, taking the white foam scooped into the well as the most auspicious. The girls used new water to make camellia oleifera to honor the guests. The Dong people in Zaimen Village in Congjiang, Guizhou pay attention to having reunion dinners on the 30th night. Then the whole village gathers to Gulou Ping to blow Lusheng and sing big songs, and also holds sacrificial activities.