Fairy Festival of Nu Ethnic Group

Gongshan Drung and Nu Autonomous County of Yunnan Province

The Fairy Festival is a traditional festival of the Nu ethnic people living in the Gongshan Mountain areas of Yunnan Province. The local people call it the Fresh Flower Festival. It takes place on March 15 of each lunar year and lasts three days, with activities like sacrificing to the fairy cave and welcoming holy water, praying for blessings by dancing, singing, and holding sports competitions.

On the occasion, every village chooses a cave with stalactites as the fairy cave. People worship in the fairy cave with offerings. The festival coincides with the azalea blooming season, so bundles of azalea are offered to the fairy, too.

While worshipping, people light up pine twigs. The emcee does the greetings and chants the scripture while beating a drum. Afterward, all people kowtow to pray to the fairy for safety. After the ceremony, every family will have a family feast. Young men and women are dressed up and go to an open ground to hold an archery contest. At the same time, various activities will be organized, attracting people from different places.

There are two stories about the origin of the festival. Some say it originates from primitive worship rites, and some believe it is derived from the customs of the early matrilineal clan of the Nus. The Nu people believe in the fairy who can bring peace and safety. It is said that the fairy was a pretty girl called Ah Rong in Jiemu village. She invented the bamboo tube cable to link both sides of the Nu River and channeled a spring from Gongshan Mountain. To escape from a forced marriage to the village chief, she hid herself in the cave and became a stone statue. It is said that the day she became the stone statue was on March 15 of the lunar calendar. Hence, people worship her on this date to remember this clever and tough girl.

Nowadays, the religious rituals are fading away, and the festival has turned into a time for dancing, singing and playing sports.

The Fairy Festival reflects the primitive religion of the Nu people, especially their nature worship and phallic worship, and the influence of Tibetan Buddhism.