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| 2024
Sisters' Meal Festival Tour
According to Miao
old folk songs, the Miao had the tradition of spending sisters'
meal festival in the past from the 1st lunar month to the 3rd
lunar month, different ceremonious activities will be held on
different days at various places. The sisters' meal festival in
Shidong, Taijiang is regarded as one of the most interesting and
the representative of the Miao's festivals, it's the Miao' festival
for the young lovers, thus named a festival hidden in the pistil.
It is said that long
time ago, there was a boy called Jindan, and a girl called Ajiao,
they grew up together and played together since childhood. When
growing up, they fell in love with each other, no one wants to
marry the others. Ajiao's parents want her to marry her cousin(the
son of her mother's brother) due to Miao's old tradition, it is
called " returning mother's head" in the past according
to Miao's old custom. Ajiao was not willing to marry her cousin,
Jindan vowed to marry Ajiao, not someone else and waited for her.
Every day they secretly made an appointment with each other in
the open country field for not been seen by their parents and
the village old. Every time Ajiao carried steamed stick rice in
the bamboo basket which is usually for storing silk floss for
making embroidery. After many years, they finally married each
other through long period of hard revolt, thus " sisters
rice, also called sisters' meal" is popularly practiced and
spread.
Afterwards, we don't
know how many years has gone, they say there are 800 girls in
Shidong area, they can not marry because they can't find boy friends,
800 boys in Datang, Sanbin area can't find girl friends, and become
singles. So the old thought of the story of Ajiao and Jindan,
they told the girls to prepare steamed sticky rice and invite
the 800 boys to eat the rice, thus everyone found his own love
partner and finally married.
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In Shidong area, on
the 13th day of the third lunar month, the girls from nearby Miao
villages climb to the mountains and pick edible juice from plant
leaves or flowers and dye glutinous rice into yellow, purple,
green or red, then invite boys to eat the steamed sticky rice
at night, they sing love songs to each till middle night.. The
color of the sticky rice has some meanings. Yellow means bump
harvest of rice, red is for the prosperity of the villages, white
indicates pure love, purple symbolizes the weath of a family,
green signifies the beautiful Qingshuijiang river. They put some
gifts such as pine needles, bamboo hooks, cotton, chili or garlic
in the steamed sticky rice. Pine needles mean the girl wants the
boy to give her some silk floss to make embroidery, bamboo hooks
mean that she wants the boy to give her some umbrellas, the numbers
of the hooks is the same as the umbrellas', if the two bamboo
hooks are connected with each other, that means she hopes to meet
the boy more times in the future so as to know each other more.
Cotton means she wants to marry him. Chili or garlic means she
is not willing to make friends or know more about him in the future,
that means she refuses him.
During the 16th and 17th day, in the afternoon, the girls in gorgeous
festive dress with plenty of silver ornaments together with their
mothers come to the riverside of Qingshuijiang river in Pianzhai,
they dance with the rhythm of wooden drum, the boys also come
to join the dance in traditional brown shiny clothe. some boats
are busy loading local Miao people, sometimes several cormorants
are relaxing on the boats,everything is good looking.
The festival is recommended to tourists who visit Guizhou for
the first time.
Witten
by Along-a Miao guide and tour operator from Langde village, Leishan
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Miao
Sisters'Meal Festival Tour(Apr 2024) to Shidong, Guizhou--accepting
travelers!!
Group size:
2-4 or 6-9 people
Group feature:private
tour
Guide:
Price: USD/pax, Single supplement: USD/pax
The price includes all meals, accomodation, entry fees, car,
English-speaking guide, drinking water and tip for guide, driver
and hotel bellboys.
It does not
include your departure air fare, personal expenditure such as
shopping, hotel phone call, laundry, any damage to hotel facility.
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| D1 |
Apr
18, 2024 Arrival Guiyang
Visit museum,
Hongfu Buddhist temple, Jiaxiu
Pavilion, flower
and bird market.
Stay in Guiyang
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| D2 |
Apr
19 Guiyang-Anshun
Visit Long
horn Miao and see performance.
Stay in Anshun
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| D3 |
Apr
20 Anshun-Guiyang
Visit Huangguoshu
waterfall,Buyi village and
Batik factory.
Stay in Guiyang
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| D4 |
Apr
21 Guiyang-Kaili
Visit Kaili
museum and folded silk Miao village-demonstration
of Folded silk embroidery and Dazhi embroidery.
Stay in Kaili
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| D5 |
Apr
22 Kaili
Langde Miao village-performance and demonstration of Braid
embroidery at Tony's wood house, Leigongshan
forest,waterfall and Wudong Miao
village.
Stay in Kaili
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| D6 |
Apr
23 Kaili
Drive to
Chonganjiang, see Shiny cloth Miao performance
and Gejia performance,lunch at local
riverside restaurant.
Stay in Kaili
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| D7 |
Apr 24 Kaili
Free time
in the morning in Kaili,afternoon drive to Pianzhai for Sisters'
meal festival.
Stay in Kaili
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| D8 |
Apr 25 Kaili
Visit a Miao
village in the afternoon and watch its traditional
paper making.
Stay in Kaili
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| D9 |
Apr 26 Kaili
Depart Kaili
for Guyang, visit Silk felting village-performance
in the morning, drive back to Guyang after lunch in Kaili,balance
of day free in Guyang.
Stay in Guiyang
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| D10 |
Apr 27
Leave Guiyang
for your next destination by morning flight, finish the Sisters'
Meal Festival tour.
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