Traditional festivals include the Megnao Festival, the Sowing Festival, the New Tasting Festival, the New Rice Festival, the Pickled Flowers Festival, and the Nengxian Festival.
Meinao Festival
"Meinao Song" means "dancing" in Jingpo language. It is the biggest traditional festival of the Jingpo ethnic group, which is usually held on two days within nine days after the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year, and the festival lasts from three to five days. As a large-scale mass singing and dancing activity, it has a long history. Historically, every year of good harvest, expedition, triumph, marriage and sacrifice to ghosts and gods and other important activities, all have to jump "eye brain".
Every time the eye brain festival, village and village Jingpo people dressed in festive costumes, have from all directions into the eye brain square. The square is crowded with people, and the atmosphere is warm and cheerful without losing the solemn and simple features. In the center of the square, there are four 4-meter-long Meibao pillars, also known as the male and female pillars, two in the middle for the yin, two outside for the yang, all of which are beautifully painted and rich in symbolic meaning of the pattern: the right side of the pillar is often painted with fern patterns to symbolize the unity of the progressive; the left side is often painted back to the pattern of the composition of a number of quadrangles and painted in different colors, indicating the migration routes of the Jingpo people; the middle of the two pillars between the two long knives crossed for the Jingpo people to be brave and strong, the Jingpo people to be strong. Between the two pillars in the center, there are two long knives crossed, which is a specific symbol of the Jingpo people's valor and toughness, and their strong and resolute character. On the left side of the column, there is a square shelf, and the upper floor is the seat for blowing suona; in front of it, there is a two-meter-long drum and a big gong with a diameter of more than one meter, which is used for accompaniment in dancing. The square is surrounded by a bamboo fence to prevent the intrusion of wild spirits and the interference of livestock. When the dance begins, drums and music, people by two respected and familiar with the eye brain dance route of the old man dressed in a big dragon robe, head decorated with peacocks, pheasants and wild boar feathers and teeth of the eye brain cap, holding a long knife to lead the way, followed by the back of the copper cannon and holding a long knife of the procession, the women with fans or colorful handkerchiefs to follow the last, singing and dancing, lively and extraordinary. Participating dancers less than a hundred people, more than a few thousand people, from early in the morning to dusk, to dusk to early in the morning, all night long to sing and dance, during which the dancers jump tired when you can automatically retreat to rest for a few moments, and then continue to dance on the field.
Spreading Festival and Taste the New Festival
Spreading Festival and Taste the New Festival is a traditional festival of Achang people in Yingjiang, Lianghe, Long and other counties of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, which is held on the 10th day of the 3rd month and the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar every year.
Legend has it that in ancient times, the Achang people have an old woman, every mid-August harvesting season, she always take great pains to carefully choose a variety of cereal seeds to stay, and forwarded to the people of the villages. She was y loved and respected by the people because she helped them improve their farming techniques. In August of a year, the old woman suddenly died before the harvest, in order to make up for the old man failed to wear new, taste new and passed away the biggest regret, people in her spirit of offering fragrant rice and new clothes. After that, on August 15 every year, Achang families used the newly harvested grain, vegetables, fruits and melons to cook, thus forming the Taste of the New Festival. In the following spring people would again scatter the seeds she left in the ground, forming the Sowing Festival on March 15 every year.
New Rice Festival
New Rice Festival Jingpo interesting harvest celebration festival. Every year in August and September of the lunar calendar, when the rice is ripe in the fields, every family will celebrate the "New Rice Festival".
The day before the festival, the host family begins to prepare. They carry baskets full of flowers, pick up bundles of ripe glutinous rice, carry them back to their homes, and place them next to the ghost gate. Then, a warm invitation is sent out to the families to be their guests on the following day. The next day, men, women, children and devils came joyfully to the host's house, and the host took out water and wine to welcome the guests. After the hosts and guests have exchanged greetings, it is time to prepare the meal for the New Rice Festival. The women and girls fry the grain, pound the flat rice, make the poi, cook the new rice, and go to the mountains to pick wild vegetables. The boys sing songs and go down to the river to catch fish. According to the traditional rules of the Jingpo people, chickens and pigs cannot be killed on the day of the New Rice Festival. Before the feast begins, the host performs a prayer ceremony. He lined up poi, flat rice, water wine, dry fish, dry mice and prayed to the ghosts, expressing his wish for the safety of people and animals, good weather, and eliminating disasters and scourges. If you can get what you want, you will surely kill a cow for sacrifice in the future.
At the ceremony of the New Rice Festival, elders of great age and virtue tell of the origin of the grain. It is said that a long time ago, the Jingpo people planted grains, but the spirit of the grains went up to the sky, and the grains on the ground did not grow well, so the family dog saw this and barked day and night, finally calling the spirit of the grains to the ground, and from then on the grains planted by the Jingpo people thrived and prospered.
Therefore, the Jingpo people look at the dog in a different light. On the day of the New Rice Festival, the dogs are to be given food first, followed by the cows, and then the old people. On the day of the New Rice Festival, people drink and laugh while summarizing the agricultural affairs with the Lord and discussing the proper time to plant. The use of water for soaking fields. The art of planting rice seedlings, the method and time limit for sowing seeds on dry land, and the design of open fields. The learning of seed rotation, etc. The New Rice Festival is a festival that celebrates the harvest and promotes the exchange of agricultural techniques.
Flower Picking Festival
Jingpo language called "Sishenxian" or "Jida", "Ningda", etc., usually held during the Spring Festival. At that time, the young men and women of the same or neighboring villages meet together, bringing food such as Po Po Silk, rice, eggs, etc., and go up to the mountain together to find a place suitable for playing, singing and dancing, laughing and joking, and holding various games such as playing "yangdan". Couples are talking about love, mutual gifts, the rest of the men, women and children, each person out of some meat and wine and other food, *** with cooking. The old man sang to the young people to listen to, the lyrics are mostly auspicious words. After the meal, everyone sings and dances and has fun together. In the evening, young men and women meet each other, sing and chant in public houses and other places, and have fun until late at night.
Nengxian Festival
It is a festival where young men and women of Jingpo ethnic group mainly gather, sing and dance. It is usually held on the 10th day of the 2nd month of the lunar calendar every year. In this season, when spring returns to the earth and everything grows, young men and women who have worked hard for a year take advantage of this good time for farming, and hold the Nengxian Festival according to the tradition in a flat place by the mountains and by the water. During the festival, young men and women dressed in festive attire, wearing a variety of decorations, gathered together, folk songs, shooting, playing slingshot, knife dance and other competitions.