Miao People Celebrate Huashan Festival in Yunnan

People from the Miao ethnic group celebrated Huashan Festival in Luquan county, Kunming city, Yunnan province on June 20. The festival showcased an array of dances, bull fights, delicacies and traditional costumes.

More than 40,000 Miao people descended on the county's cultural square early to watch dance performances and hear songs from different ethnic groups.

Local dishes were served for lunch at the leisure center, allowing people to enjoy mutton soup, black-bone chicken and other special farm-oriented dishes.

Stealing the show and attracting the crowds was an elderly Miao lady who performed flax weaving, allowing visitors to get an intimate look at the intangible cultural heritages of the Miao ethnic group.

A number of bull fights were held in the afternoon. In keeping with the Miao people's belief that the more fierce the fight, the greater the harvest will be, the owners of the bulls tried their best to frustrate their bulls.

Huashan Festival literally means "gathering on mountains" and is over 2,000 years old. On the day of the festival, it is tradition for Miao people to pray for favorable weather and family prosperity. It is also a time for young men and women to look for a potential partner.