Customs of Sisters' Day

On these days, according to the traditional custom of the Miao family in Guizhou's Qiandongnan Prefecture, sister rice is eaten. Sisters Rice is made by girls picking flowers and leaves of wild plants from the mountains, dyeing them with glutinous rice and steaming them. After eating the Sisters Rice, the girls and young men, dressed in festive and national costumes, come to the bank of the Steep Water River to take part in recreational and sports activities, such as singing songs, blowing the reed-song, stepping on drums on the beach, beating drums with gongs and beating drums, dancing with reed-songs, rowing boats, bullfighting, and so on.

The Miao women have to celebrate the "Sisters' Festival" once and have a meal of "Sisters' Rice". On the morning of the festival, the girls in the village go to the fields to catch fish and prepare the "Sisters' Rice", and no matter which field they go to catch fish, they will be welcomed. After the women have eaten the "Sister Rice", they each bring their own colorful sticky rice and go to the square field to find young men to sing songs with. The young men must win the song in order to get the rice. In addition to the songs, women can participate in all kinds of recreational activities. Married girls also go back to their mother's home to celebrate the "Sisters Festival". Miao Sisters Festival, also known as "eating sisters rice", is a traditional festival in some Miao villages along the Qingshui River in the eastern part of Guizhou Province, every year from March 15 to 18 of the lunar calendar, the Miao people along the banks of the river near the people are gathered together to celebrate this festival. During the festival, according to the traditional custom of the Miao family, they have to eat sister rice. This kind of rice is steamed with the flowers and leaves of wild plants picked by the girls on the mountains, and the glutinous rice is dyed into colorful colors. Sister rice is crystal clear, soft and delicious. In addition to being eaten by the whole family, it is also used as a gift for relatives, friends and guests. During festivals, the Miao people visit friends and relatives, all have to carry a bamboo basket. In addition to chicken and duck dishes in the basket, there should also be fragrant and colorful sister rice. During the festival, men wear blue, blue and purple colors of the lapel coat, wrapped in a headband, girls dressed in embroidered with a variety of beautiful patterns, patterns of national costumes, hair in a bun, wearing a luanfeng silver crown, wearing earrings, necklaces and silver rings, the body full of silver medals, rushed to the banks of the Qingshui River. Here is a sea of people, lively and unusual. Some bullfighting, some rowing boats, some gongs and drums, some blowing reed bamboo, some singing songs, many men and women in the riverside meadow or beach drumming, dancing Lusheng dance. During the festival, bullfighting is the most lively scene. In the bullfighting arena with the reed bamboo cheerful music, a rolled melon round, four legs thick, head two curved and sharp horn of the big bull was led into the field. This kind of bullock is like a "veteran", once you hear the reedsong, you know that there will be a fierce battle, and so can not wait to keep turning around, blowing nose, planing hooves. With the sound of firecrackers, another big bullock also came into the field. The two masters unlocked the cow's reins, in the cow's buttocks pat a few times, the two big bullock step by step close to, and sometimes waved the horn to hit, and sometimes against each other hard, you into my back, I into your back, hit the horn clanging, fighting to be inseparable. The audience watched with rapt attention. Sometimes people separated the bulls because the two heads were not winning or losing. The surrounding crowd flocked to the owners of the two bulls, rubbing mud on the backs and heads of the bulls to express their congratulations. The owner of the cow is also happy to hold their own cattle with both hands, two feet keep jumping, everyone constantly issued a "call ------ call ------ call ------" cheers. Twilight, the old people gradually left the river, the wide grassy beach has become the world of young people, love songs in the river ripples, Miao youth immersed in love and happiness. Regarding the origin of the Sisters' Festival, there is a local legend: a long time ago, there were countless smart and beautiful girls here. Relying on their own hands, they labored hard and lived a life of abundance. But the beauty is that there are many girls who have grown up and have not yet married. So they discussed and decided to take some rice each, and the sisters got together for a meal, singing and dancing, so that young men from other places could come here to have some fun. By this day many young men from abroad had come. People gathered together, some bullfighting, some horse racing, some singing, some stepping on drums, some dancing reed bamboo dance, very lively. The girls not only entertained them attentively, but also gave them glutinous rice when they were leaving. The young people were very happy to receive the hospitality. Afterwards, they often came here to play, and also sent the girls some favorite lace and silk threads and other things. As a result of frequent exchanges with the girls to establish a relationship with each other are married to each other. Over time, generations, it has become the Qingshui River Miao people, especially young men and women *** with the festival.