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Yunnan's Painted Face Festival

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Christy Huang's picture
Christy Huang
posted on Tuesday, July 19th 2016 at 20:55
138
Like this  1
( Festivals & Events, Ethnic Minorities, Puzhehei )

The Painted Face Festival (花脸节 - Huāliǎn jié) in Qiubei, Wenshan Miao and Yi Autonomous Prefecture is an over 1000 year old tradition of the local Yi minority. Hosted close to Puzhehei's scenic area, it started this year on 18. July and will last for 1 month. The opening ceremony was arranged at Qiubei's Jiaolian Square. Like this week, the celebration attracts lots of visitors from all over the country to join the party. Local ethnic people in costumes, singing and dancing and of course smearing each other's faces and bodies with black color made out of ashes, are the highlights.

Tradition and legend have it that the Yi people's ancestors used the ashes to smear each other's faces in order to drive the devil out but also for disinfestation. Today, the people wish each other luck and express their affection by celebrating and 'painting' other people's faces.

 

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