Spring Festival Custom Of Ethnic Minority Groups

The Spring Festival is an important festival celebrated by 56 ethnic groups all together. Besides Han, many ethnic minority groups also have their own ways to celebrate this traditional festival.

Li Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in southern China's Hainan Province): On the New Year's eve, the whole family members sit together to eat delicious food and sing the new year's songs. On the first or second day of the new year, people go hunting together and divide the food they get.

Yi Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in the southwestern China's Sichuan province): They enjoy dancing together to celebrate the New Year. In some of the counties, men do the homework on the first day of the New Year. This is considered as a relief for their wives.

Miao Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in Hunan and Guizhou province) :They call the Spring Festival as "Kejia's Year". Each family kills pigs and sheep to wish for a rich and prosperous new year. They Also sing the spring songs for the beginning of the New Year.

Man Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in the three provinces of Northeast China, Beijing, and Hebei): They celebrate the festival twice. One is on the New Year's Eve and another is on the first day of the New Year. They usually held horse riding or camel riding contests to celebrate the festival.

Dong Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in southwestern China's Guizhou province): They enjoy catching fish from pools and cooking them for dinner. This manner is a symbol of luck and fortune for the new year.

Zhuang Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in southwestern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region): They usually prepare food and dinner for the New Year's Day at the New Year's Eve, which means good luck and prosperity in the New Year.

Qiang Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in southwestern China's Suchuan province): During the festival, every family use mutton and beef as offerings to worship their ancestors. Another interesting custom is to sit around a wine jar and drink the wine through a one-meter long straw.

Shui Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in Guizhou province): the children of Shui minority go out to ask for candies door to door. And the one who get the most is regarded as the luckiest one.

Bai Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in southwestern China's Yunnan province): They enjoy drinking sweet water with the first meal of the New Year, which means a sweet live in the coming New Year.

Korean Ethnic Group (mostly inhabiting in northeastern China's Jilin province): They usually stick the spring distiches on the door and cook delicious food.

Mongol Ethnic Group (mostly located in northwestern China's  Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region): on the first day of the New Year people put on new clothes, and ride horses to visit the elderly people. They also hold a "Tiaoshen Party, at which people dance and sing, wearing masks, to welcome the New Year.

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