The Huajie Festival, also known as Sanyuesan or Ganhuajie, is the greatest celebration of Zhuang and Huayao Dai ethnic minority groups. It takes place every year during the spring planting season in Yunnan Province. It is known by many names, including "song street" and "floral street festival."
The Huajie Festival is held at different times and in different places in the different living areas of Daiya of Huayao Dai, Daika and Daisa.
Huayao Dai people are part of the Dai ethnic group. They get their name from the colorful costume decorations women wear on their waists. They live mainly in south Yunnan’s Xinping, Yuanjiang and Yuanyang counties.
The Huajie Festival carries on the ancient customs by which lovers meet, dress to compete for beauty and eat rice from seedlings. The ancient customs gradually evolved into a grand occasion for trade and cultural exchanges among all ethnic groups.
The Huajie Festival is an occasion that celebrates romance. It's a time when people find their lovers and sing love songs to each other. It's also a time for parents to give special toys and gifts to their children.
The Huajie Festival is a mysterious and romantic event, which is sometimes called the “Valentine's Day in the East.” Through the Huajie Festival platform, many ancient and traditional cultural traditions of the Huayao Dai nationality have been protected and passed down, preserving the value of folk culture.
The festival takes place at different times and places, such as the Huayao Dai ethnic areas in Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County. It is held during the lunar month of March, when thousands of people dress in ethnic clothing and gather in the streets, county lanes and rural areas for ceremonies of singing and dancing. After the singing and dancing rituals, young people choose a partner. Young ladies give embroidered craft works to the men they favor. Young men buy headscarves, silver bracelets or necklaces as gifts for their loved ones.
It’s an excellent occasion for tourists to experience the Huayao Dai costumes, gourmet events, dancing and singing.
Zhuang and Huayao Dai ethnic minority groups
It usually falls on the third day of the third month in lunar calendar.
