03:42Residents of Qiubei, China, celebrated the unique 'Black Face' festival on Thursday by smearing soot across each other's faces, a traditional practice believed to drive away ghosts and disasters.
Footage from the event showed participants enthusiastically painting each other's faces. Children joined in the festivities, singing, dancing, and displaying soot-covered hands, adding to the vibrant atmosphere.
"I came here to experience other people's culture without any preconceived notions. I didn't know what ethnic culture was like before; usually, what I saw on TV was just imitations. Experiencing it here in person is incredibly passionate and exuberant, very authentic, and down-to-earth," shared one tourist.
Another visitor remarked, "This festival may be very familiar and fun for the people here in Yunnan, but for someone from outside the province like me, I only discovered it after coming here. I think we can increase the promotion, especially on social media. I believe this is a very interesting festival that can be promoted widely."
The festival traces its roots back to the Yi ancestors, who used ash to paint their faces and ward off evil spirits during the second month of the lunar calendar. Known as the Hualian festival, this thousand-year-old tradition is celebrated annually in Qiubei County, Wenshan Miao, and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, spanning over a month.
Soots you! China's 1000-year-old 'Black Face' festival to 'drive away ghosts' celebrated in Qiubei
Residents of Qiubei, China, celebrated the unique 'Black Face' festival on Thursday by smearing soot across each other's faces, a traditional practice believed to drive away ghosts and disasters.
Footage from the event showed participants enthusiastically painting each other's faces. Children joined in the festivities, singing, dancing, and displaying soot-covered hands, adding to the vibrant atmosphere.
"I came here to experience other people's culture without any preconceived notions. I didn't know what ethnic culture was like before; usually, what I saw on TV was just imitations. Experiencing it here in person is incredibly passionate and exuberant, very authentic, and down-to-earth," shared one tourist.
Another visitor remarked, "This festival may be very familiar and fun for the people here in Yunnan, but for someone from outside the province like me, I only discovered it after coming here. I think we can increase the promotion, especially on social media. I believe this is a very interesting festival that can be promoted widely."
The festival traces its roots back to the Yi ancestors, who used ash to paint their faces and ward off evil spirits during the second month of the lunar calendar. Known as the Hualian festival, this thousand-year-old tradition is celebrated annually in Qiubei County, Wenshan Miao, and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, spanning over a month.
Residents of Qiubei, China, celebrated the unique 'Black Face' festival on Thursday by smearing soot across each other's faces, a traditional practice believed to drive away ghosts and disasters.
Footage from the event showed participants enthusiastically painting each other's faces. Children joined in the festivities, singing, dancing, and displaying soot-covered hands, adding to the vibrant atmosphere.
"I came here to experience other people's culture without any preconceived notions. I didn't know what ethnic culture was like before; usually, what I saw on TV was just imitations. Experiencing it here in person is incredibly passionate and exuberant, very authentic, and down-to-earth," shared one tourist.
Another visitor remarked, "This festival may be very familiar and fun for the people here in Yunnan, but for someone from outside the province like me, I only discovered it after coming here. I think we can increase the promotion, especially on social media. I believe this is a very interesting festival that can be promoted widely."
The festival traces its roots back to the Yi ancestors, who used ash to paint their faces and ward off evil spirits during the second month of the lunar calendar. Known as the Hualian festival, this thousand-year-old tradition is celebrated annually in Qiubei County, Wenshan Miao, and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, spanning over a month.