Tomb - Sweeping Day(Qingming Festival)
Qingming is meaning the clear and bright. Qingming Festival is a good time for people to visit and sacrifice ancestors. Naxi people says during this time, it’s easy to get hypertension. So we need choose the soft and with staunch exercise to do. having meals on time. especially the fat people should eat less sweets, more vegetables and fruits, the old man who gets hypertension should eat less salt .and corresponding add potassium. Qing Ming Festival is Tomb—Sweeping Day.
About Qingming Festival has interesting story.
Spring Festival Day in Lijiang
The Spring Festival starts from the last lunar month, which people begin to clean their house put up window paper – cuts and couplets.
One popular folk belief is that during the 12th lunar month all gods and spirits either ascend to heaven or descend to hell to report on the family activities over the past year. People take this opportunity to clean their houses, so the gods and spirits will not be disturbed or offended. The house cleaning is also carried out to create a heat and festive environment for the Spring Festival.
Also major activity that is occurred before the Spring Festival is offended sacrifices to the kitchen god on the 23rd. The kitchen god is a household God. People offer him delectable dishes to encourage him to say good things about the family when he goes to heaven to make his report, thus securing the family good luck throughout the new year.
Torch Festival
Torch Festival is a popular festival in Yunnan Province, Lijiang too.
Especially Yi celebrated the Torch Festival about twenty-fourth June. Totally, Torch Festival lasts three days. The festival has a long history. Had written by the book called (太平广记). And (星回) festival also.
It is from the Yi people’s solar calendar. The Yi thought there are ten month and thirty-six days of month in the year. Another five days for holiday. Torch Festival is holiday of first half year. The Yi, Naxi in Lijiang,Jingnuo ethnic group people hold it in the 24th June. But Lahou ethnic group hold it in 20th.
July Exchange Market
The Exchange March was beginning in the middle of the July in lunar month. It is another important festival. It was held not long, only ten days.
During those days is the best time to exchange livestocks, so it is called July Exchange Market. July Exchange Market has long history.
It was famous in Lijiang. Legend: the ancestor of Naxi have a good heart. They loved each other very much even they must through many difficult things, at last they got married. When they come back to earth built. They take the lave store come back to earth exchange. So it became a great exchange market. In fact, from ancient to now Lijiang has a good name, flower horse country, in the past here had horses and salt, iron used it trading with Sichuan, the 《东巴经》used the Dongba picture graph write. Have many interesting depiction about horse. In Lijiang the mules looks very small, but have enough spirit and very strong with muscular and four limbs very health. They are good at climbing mountain, fields, also very hard work and diligent. Not only it was used by local people but also was used in another country.
Sanduo Festival Day
There is a Naxi traditional festival in Lijiang, Yunnan. It is Sanduo festival holds on the 8th Feb in lunar month every year.
Naxi people says: Sanduo is the soul of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in all Naxi people’s mind. Because not only he protects Lijiang area but also helped the Naxi people, he is a national hero, so on that day, the Naxi people hold a big celebration to sacrifice him.
March Street in Dali
March street festival is belonging to the ethnic group that is a great festival for Bai people. That is traditional about trading and culture performance.
Dali, it is the autonomous region of Bai people, so March Street is popular and traditional festival in Dali. March Street is celebrated from March 15th in traditional Chinese lunar calendar in Diancang Mt. which west of Dali. It is holed on 5 to 7 days.
March Exchange Market
March exchange market was hold in March of lunar month every year in Lijiang, Yunnan. It has duration of seven days. The market was a day—long festival to Qing Dynasty emperor Qianlong decade, the Black Dragon Pool in north of Lijiang city built dragon ancestral and held temple king of dragon about three or five days long. After the revolution, Lijiang commercial the king of dragon temple advised by the association for conducting the exchange department.
Yuquan forest in the north between the lawn cater to horse---based livestock, exchange market trader continue to come to difference place. Yuquan become the center market of livestock. The exchange market on March and July of Lijiang, it comes from the tea horse road and communication in the local village in the past, most of the livestock used the farm in every village of Lijiang , so the economic develop very fast.
