Dong Nationality’s Festival
Dong Nationality’s Festival is a traditional holiday for all Dong people. The festival is on 1st November of China lunar calendar. Dong thought that it should be the beginning of next year after harvest season, so that November in China calendar is considered of the Dong Nationality’s Festival.
In the festival eve, Dong people cook all dishes with local sour soup for preparing next day worship ancestors activity. After a night, all dishes are frozen to become frozen as” frozen food”. Sacrificial offering as “frozen food” is particular scenery of Dong Nationality’s Festival.
In 2010, Dong Nationality’s Festival was ranked to the third batch National Intangible Cultural heritage List.
Lusheng Festival of Dong minority
Lusheng is a special folk musical instrument made of bamboo Miao people originally.
Because of living side by side for hundreds years, the culture and habits of Dong and Miao has great influent to each other, Lusheng also become a most favorite musical instrument of Dong nationality. There is a unique feature of Dong Lusheng Festival that female player of Lusheng. The performance usually holds for guests, festival and other big days of Dong people.
Banquet of Various Families in Dong Village (Bai Jia Yan)
It is said that the festival originated in a treat feast of a hero who killed a devil to safe Dong village. In order to express the tribute and gratitude, each family in village would like invite hero to their home for visiting. However, the hero must leave in early morning of next day and no time for visiting all family in the village. Then, a beautiful girl thought up way of solution that is each family cook their best dishes and then gather together to treat the hero. The suggestion was agreed by all people and this custom has been maintained so far. Nowadays, the banquet is setting guests, big festival or wedding party in Dong village.
