Where is Nianliu a custom?

Nianliu is a custom of the Maoming and Zhanjiang regions of Guangdong Province and the Beiliu area of Guangxi Province.

Nianliu is a group ritual activity centered on honoring the gods, touring the gods, and setting up the Jongtai (Jiaojiao), accompanied by a variety of folk cultural performances and banquets. The main purpose of the festival is to honor the gods, worship the ancestors and the gods of the earth and grain, and to pray for good weather conditions and peace of the nation. "The so-called New Year's Example means that there is an example every year." During the New Year, the activities of Nianliu all over Zhanjiang are like a hundred flowers blossoming, spreading all over the towns and villages. Unlike traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, Nianliu is a cultural practice unique to the western part of Guangdong.

Origin of Nianliu

According to local historical records, Nianliu has a long history and is not unique to the western part of Guangdong. Ming Jiajing eighteen years (1539) "Qinzhou Zhi" and the Qing Jiaqing "Lingshan County Zhi" have recorded the local jumping Guxiang Nuo Nianliu scene. Ming Jiajing thirty-six years (1557) "Guangdong Tongzhi", "Leizhou Province in the Lantern Festival sounding drums and gongs, playing strings and strings, pretending to be ghosts and plays, along the streets for fun." Recorded at that time Leizhou Nuo dance Lantern Festival scenes.

However, all over the annual activities, the annual activities in western Guangdong is unique for its grand, large scale, wide range, strong mass participation, many genres and other characteristics.