Zhuang and Yao People Celebrate Niuwang Festival in Jianghua

The annual Siyueba Niuwang Festival was celebrated at the Chongjiang Village Cultural Square in Xiaoxu Zhuang Township, Jianghua Yao Autonomous County on May 15. Siyueba refers to the celebration date—the eighth day of the fourth Chinese lunar month, and Niuwang means the king of the cattle. 

Accompanied by sounds of gongs and drums, the master of the ceremony offered various sacrifices to the king of the cattle and decorated it with brocades and ribbons. Local people of the Zhuang ethnic group were dressed up, presenting palatable wine to every guest at the entrance. More than 10,000 people from near and far got together to celebrate this traditional festival of the Zhuang ethnic group.

Picaresque scenery of Shuikou Town. (Photo/Feng Jianlin, CNR)

The eighth day of the fourth Chinese lunar month is celebrated by the Zhuang people as the birthday of the cattle, which is also marked as the Niuwang Festival. On that day, people remove ploughs from their cattle and offer them with sweet wine and five-color glutinous rice as a way to celebrate their birthday and show appreciation for their dedications in farm work. It is also a good time to pray for a bumper harvest and prosperity in the community.

The "king of the cattle" enjoys "delicacy". (Photo/Zhou Chun, CNR)

More than 10,000 Zhuang and Yao people attended a series of celebrations that day, including "crowning ceremony of the king of the cattle", art performances, appreciating traditional Zhuang dishes, and campfire party.

At the celebration of Niuwang Festival. (Photo/Zhou Chun, CNR)

Jianghua is the only Yao autonomous county and Xiaoxu is the only Zhuang township in Hunan Province. Shuikou Town, neighboring Xiaoxu Township, is one of Hunan's top 10 cultural tourism towns, featuring traditional Yao culture. There is a 4A-level tourist attraction—Jianghua Yao Landscape Resort, folk marriage customs like Zuogetang and Palou, and long drum dance of the Yao ethnic group as a national intangible cultural heritage, among others. These regions have joined hands in leveraging the Zhuang and Yao ethnic culture, integrating culture, agriculture, and tourism to promote rural revitalization and the high-quality development of cultural tourism with local characteristics.