Miao Minority Autumn Harvest Festival
 2017-04-22 15:53:36   Zhangjiajie Toptourism Website  

Autumn Harvest Festival is a large folk festival activity of Miao Minority for entertainment, trade, youth exchange to celebrate the future harvest before autumn harvest or autumn beginning.

As for the origin of Autumn Harvest Festival, some say that it is “Autumn beginning day”, and some say that it is “Catch the swing”. Tradition has it that a long time ago, a young man named Baguidare in Miao Village was of martical bearing and good at toxophily, flied right, and admired by the people. One day, he hunted to see an eagle flying through the air, and drew the bow to shoot it by an arrow. The eagle fell while falling an embroidered shoe. This embroidered shoe was extremely ingenious, certainly made by a beautiful Miao girl's hand. Baguidare was determined to find this shoe maker. He designed and made a wind car that can hold 8 persons, named “Eight persons’ autumn”. On autumn beginning day, he invited the village’s men and women to play the swing. Swing is an activity mostly loved by the girl, Baguidare thought that the shoe making girl will come. Sure enough, his desire achieved. He found the shoe maker, the beautiful girl Qiliang. Later, they established the relationship through the antiphonally singing Miao song, and they were married, and the life is very happy. From then on, the people follow the example, to hold this activity once a year.

Tradition has it that in some place, Shennong sent a man and a woman to the Orient to find the seeds and obtain the grain harvest, so Miao Minority ancient people called them as Autumn Gong and Autumn Po, Autumn Harvest Festival is a folk festival that Miao Minority ancient people were thankful to Shennong and Autumn Gong and Autumn Po. Autumn Harvest Festival shows that Miao Minority people seek for the grain harvest and happiness, and the domestic animals are all thriving.