Nu fairy Festival

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Nu fairy Festival

Applicant: Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province

Item No.: 472

Project No.: Ⅹ - 24

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Yunnan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province

Protected by: Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous County Cultural Center

Introduction to Nu fairy Festival

Applicant: Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province

Nu fairy Festival, also known as "Flower Festival", is popular in Bingzhongluo Township, Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is held on March 15 of the lunar calendar every year and lasts for three days. Festival activities include offering sacrifices to fairy cave and greeting holy water, singing and dancing for happiness and sports competition.

The origin of the Nuzu fairy Festival, one is derived from primitive worship, the other is the Nuzu early matriarchal clan respect women as a relic. Nu people believe in fairies to pray for peace. In memory of the legendary fairy girl a Rong, people held worship activities on the 15th of the third month of the lunar calendar the second year after her death, gradually forming the custom of fairy Festival. The chief priest read a toast, and everyone presented tribute orally. With the development of the times, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to fairies has gradually weakened. Singing and dancing for happiness and sports competition have become the main activities of fairies Festival.

The social foundation of Nu fairy Festival is quite extensive, which reflects the consciousness of primitive religion, especially the worship of nature and reproduction, and is influenced by Tibetan Buddhist culture. It has important value for the inheritance of Nu traditional culture.

Nu nationality is one of the ethnic minorities with a small population and living across the border in China. Its traditional culture is vulnerable to the impact of external factors. The inheritance of fairy festival was once interrupted, and it was not restored until the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee.