Spring Plowing Festival 2014 to Be Held in Longji Rice Terrace

Longji Rice Terrace, located about 27 kilometers southeast of Longsheng County, is famous for its vast land of rice terraces with beautiful natural landscapes and local unique ethnic customs and cultures. The diverse and rich customs and cultures have endowed Longsheng County with various holidays from different ethnic groups. One of most attractive holidays should be the Spring Plowing Festival.

Spring Plowing Festival is a traditional holiday to be held in May to June every year to mark the beginning of spring ploughing, which is considered the most important farm practice for local people. For local Zhuang people, the festival is an important and auspicious day to start spring ploughing and pray for good harvest. While for tourists attracted there, Spring Plowing Festival is a great opportunity to enjoy the most beautiful scenery of the rice terraces at this season, to shoot beautiful pictures, also it is a great opportunity to know more and experience the charm of local customs and cultures.



The Spring Plowing Festival 2014 is going to be held on May 2, 2014 in Longji Ancient Zhuang Village. Now let’s get to the list of activities to be held in this festival.

1、Guest welcoming.
Time: 10:00 – 10:30 am.
This is the opening ceremony of the Spring Plowing Festival. When suonas start playing, drums beating and dragons dancing, local Zhuang girls and women dressed up their beautiful ethnic costumes will sing their happy toasting songs and present cups of local Longji wine to guests coming from other places.



2、Worship to the rice field
Time 10:30-11:00
Before the ceremony of starting ploughing, old villagers will present sacrifices to the rice field and pray for a smooth year and good harvest. They would bring the strongest ox in the village, walking around rice fields so that every farmer would put some mud from their own rice field to the ox with good prays. After this, the leader of the village will open the water channel, letting water flow into the rice field. At this time, all people start singing ploughing songs.

3、Group ploughing
Time: 11:00 am – 13:00 pm
After three sounds of firecrackers, people start to plough their fields.



4、Free tours
Tourists are allowed to tour around local villages to watch more beautiful scenery, learn more local cultures and experience more local customs at this period of time.

5、Fish-catching
Time: 15:30 – 16:30 pm
Tourists will be invited to join with the local Zhuang people in the fish-catching activity.



6、Duck-catching
Time: 16:30 - 17:30 pm
Tourists will be invited to join with local people to catch ducks in the field.

7、Firework performances
Time: 19:00 - 21:00 pm
At this period of time, tourists will have chances to watch the spectacular hydrangeas which are formed by lightened torches in the field terraces. Also there are performances of fireworks to enjoy.



8、Bonfire night
Time: 8:30-10:00
A large bonfire night will be held to treat guests with their enthusiastic folk songs and dance performances by local Zhuang people.



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