Ethnic cultural festival celebrated in Hainan

The worship ceremony held at Wuzhishan city on the first celebration day attracted over 10,000 spectators from inside and outside Hainan. [Photo by Luo Yunfei/Chinanews.com]

Hainan celebrated the Sanyuesan Festival for the Li and Miao ethnic groups with a series of activities from April 18 to 20 to create a festive atmosphere and promote folk culture. 

The Chinese word "Sanyuesan" literally means the third day of the third lunar month, which fell on April 18 this year.

The worship ceremony held at Wuzhishan city on the first celebration day attracted over 10,000 spectators from Hainan and elsewhere including 85 ethnic group members from Taiwan. A cultural forum was then organized to offer a platform for experts to discuss and study the local Paolongkou culture, said to be the ancestors of the Li ethnic group.

Baisha county also hosted an intangible cultural heritage exhibition to celebrate its colorful history and culture through pictures, videos, material objects, performances and hands-on visitor experience of such techniques as embroidery, potting, root carving, wood carving and Li brocade.

The Miao embroidery competition in Sanya [Photo by Chen Wenwu/news.cn] 

Activities like a tourism promotion conference, a food exhibition, a concert, a Miao embroidery competition, a sports competition, and a beer and music festival also entertained all present. 

Sanyuesan is regarded as a festival in which young people can sing songs and find their true love. The traditional wedding customs of the Li and Miao ethnic groups staged at Nansheng town in Wuzhishan became a highlight and provided a personal touch.