Yunnan is famous for its richness in ethnic cultures and nearly every ethnic minority group in Yunnan celebrates its own unique festivals. Some events are famous all over the country and even abroad, others are still insiders’ tips. But all are good reasons to visit Yunnan!
Below we listed an extensive overview of the famous as well as less popular celebrations of Yunnan’s minority groups.
| Ethnic Group | Festival Name | Events & Activities | Lunar Calendar / Gregorian Calendar | Chinese Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A’chang | Street Meeting | Elephant-feet drum dancing; Worship the White Elephant | mid of 9. month / usually around mid October | 阿昌族会街 |
| Bai | Bai People’s Patron Gathering | God Worshiping; Singing & dancing; Dongjing Music | Varies from each Bai Ethnic village / usually around beginning of February | 白族本主会 |
| Bai | Qing Guniang Festival | Singing & Dancing | 15. day of 1. month / usually around end of February | 青姑娘节 |
| Bai | Dali March Street Festival | Goods exchanging; Horse racing; Singing & Dancing | 15.-21. day of 3. month / usually around end of April | 大理三月街 |
| Bai | Bai People’s Pear-Flower Festival | Picnic in the pear gardens | 3. month / usually around April | 白族梨花会 |
| Bai | Three Temples Festival | God Worshiping; Transplant rice seedlings | 23.-25. day of 4. month / usually around end of May | 白族绕三灵 |
| Bai | Rice-Transplanting Meet | God Worshiping; transplant rice seedlings; Singing | Seasonal Grain in Beard / usually around beginning of June | 白族栽秧会 |
| Bai | Torch Festival | Burning Torches; Lighting fires; Dragon boat racing; Singing | 25. day of 6. month / usually around end of July | 白族火把节 |
| Bai | Shibaoshan Singing Festival | Temple Fair; Singing | 27.-29. day of 7. month / usually around end of August | 白族石宝山歌会 |
| Bulang | Gangyong Festival | Sacrificing; Singing & dancing | 3. or 8. month / usually around April or September | 布朗族冈永节 |
| Buyi | Flower Dance Meeting | Tree Leaf Music; Playing the zither | 1.-21. day of 1. month / usually during February | 布依族跳花会 |
| Buyi | Moon Jumping Festival | Goods Exchanging; Singing and dancing | 13.-15. day of 2. month / usually around end of March | 布依族跳月 |
| Buyi | San Yue San | Goods Exchanging; Singing and dancing | 3. day of 3. month / usually around early April | 布依族三月三 |
| Buyi | Liu Yue Liu | Goods Exchanging; Singing and dancing | 6. day of 6. month / usually around early July | 布依族“六月六” |
| Dai | Dragon God Offering Festival | God Worshiping; Singing & dancing | Before the Spring Festival / usually around January | 傣族送龙节 |
| Dai | Water-Splashing Festival | Dragon boat racing; Water-splashing; Singing & dancing | mid of 4. month / usually around mid May | 傣族泼水节 |
| Dai | Fasting (Guanmen) Festival | Buddhism temples visiting; Singing & dancing | middle of 6. month / usually around mid July | 傣族关门节 |
| Dai | Kaimen Festival | Friends visiting; Singing & dancing; Playing Gaosheng (高升) | mid of 9. month / usually around mid October | 傣族开门节 |
| De’ang | Water-Splashing Festival | Water splashing; Singing & dancing | early 3. month / usually around mid April | 德昂族泼水节 |
| Dulong | Kaquewa Festival | Sacrificing; Singing & dancing; Ox butchering | 12. month or 1. month / usually around January or February | 独龙族卡雀哇（年节） |
| Hani | Dragon Sacrifice Festival | Playing instruments: Mangluo, Ox-Skin Drum, Wuba, Tetrachord | 2. day of 2. month / usually around mid March | 哈尼族祭龙日/新米节 |
| Hani | Girls’ Festival | Swinging; Singing & dancing | 4. day of 2. month / usually around mid March | 哈尼族姑娘节 |
| Hani | A’matu Festival | God Worshiping; Singing & dancing; Street Banquet | 2. month / usually around March | 哈尼族阿玛突 |
| Hani | Limazhu Festival | Wrestling; Singing & dancing | 3. month / usually around April | 哈尼族“里玛主”节 |
| Hani | Miaoaina Festival | Bonfire Party; Singing & dancing | early 5. month / usually around early June | 哈尼族苗爱拿节 |
| Hani | Grasshopper Catching Festival | Grasshopper Catching & Grasshopper Feasting | 24. day of 6. month / usually around end of July | 哈尼族捉蚂蚱节 |
| Hani | Kuzhazha Festival | Wrestling; Swinging; Singing & dancing | 24. day of 6. month / usually around end of July | “苦扎扎”（六月年节） |
| Hani | Misuozha Festival | Swinging; Singing & dancing | 11. month / usually around early December | 哈尼族米索扎节 |
| Hui | Lesser Bairam / Eid al-Fitr | Worshipping; Praying; Singing & dancing | after the feasting month of Ramadan | 回族开斋节 |
| Hui | Gu’erbang Festival | Worshipping; Animal sacrifice | early 8. month / usually around early September | 回族古尔帮节 |
| Jingpo | Munao Zongge | Sacrificing; Singing & dancing | mid of 1. month / usually around end of February | 景颇族目脑纵歌 |
| Jinuo | Te Mao Ke Festival | Singing & dancing; Family visits | end of 12. month, beginning of 1. month / usually beginning, mid February | 基诺族特懋克节 |
| Lahu | Kuzha Festival (New Year Festival) | Singing; Elephant-feet drum dancing | 1. & 15. day of 1. month / usually around February | 拉祜族库扎节（年节） |
| Lahu | God of Sun Sacrificing Festival | Sacrificing; Singing & dancing | Beginning of Summer / usually around early May | 拉祜祭太阳神 |
| Lahu | Gourd Festival | Bonfire Party; Singing & dancing | 10. day of 10. month / usually around mid November | 拉祜族葫芦节 |
| Lisu | Bathing Pool Celebration | Bathing in pools; Singing competition | 2. day of 1. month / usually around mid February | 傈僳族澡堂会 |
| Lisu | Kuoshi Festival | Reunion Dinner; Crossbow competition | 1-15. day of 1. month / usually around early February | 傈僳族“盍什”节 |
| Lisu | Knife-Pole Climbing Festival | Knife-Pole Climbing; Coals of Fire Jumping; Sing and Dance | 8. day of 2. month / usually around mid March | 傈僳族刀杆节 |
| Man | Banjin Festival | Ancestor worshiping; Singing & dancing | 13. day of 10. month / usually around mid November | 满族颁金节 |
| Miao | Flower Mountain Festival | Hu Sheng Dancing; Singing & Dancing; Flower Pole Climbing | 2.-7. day of 1. month / usually around mid February | 苗族花山节 |
| Mongolian | Luban Festival | Sacrificing; Singing & Dancing | 2. day of 4. month / usually around early May | 蒙古族鲁班节 |
| Naxi | Dragon Sacrifice Festival | Goods exchanging; Performances | 15. day of 1. month / usually around end of February | 纳西族祭龙节 |
| Naxi | Heaven Worshiping Festival | Heaven Worshiping | 1. month / 7. month | 纳西族祭天 |
| Naxi | Mila or Bangbang Festival | Picnic; Horse racing; Singing and dancing; Farming tools trading | 8. day of 2. month / usually around mid March | 纳西族米拉会/棒棒会 |
| Naxi | Naxi Mule Assembly | Goods exchanging; Performances | 3. month and 7. month / usually around April and August | 纳西族骡马大会 |
| Naxi | Sanduo Festival | Bullfighting; Singing; Worshiping | 25. day of 6. month / usually around end of July | 纳西族三多节 |
| Naxi | Qiyue Festival | Goods exchanging; Performance | mid of 7. month / usually around mid August | 纳西族七月会 |
| Nu | Nu People’s New Year Festival | Ancestor Worshiping; Earth Sacrificing; Singing & dancing | 1. month / usually around February | 怒族年节 |
| Nu | Flower Festival | Singing & Dancing; Flowers Picking | 15. day of 3. month / usually around end of April | 怒族鲜花节 |
| Pumi | New Year Festival | Swing; Singing & dancing; Horse-racing | 6. day of 12. month / usually around early January | 普米族“大年”节 |
| Pumi | Mountain Circumnavigation | Mountain Cycling; Singing & dancing | 5. day of 5. month / usually around mid June | 普米族转山会 |
| Shui | Shui People’s Festival | Similar to the Spring Festival | 8. – 10. month / usually around September-November | 水族节日 |
| Tibetan | Tibetan New Year Festival | Picnic; Horse-racing | early 1. month / usually around early February | 藏族草地藏民节/藏历年 |
| Tibetan | Tibetan Puja Dance Festival | Sacrificing; Singing & dancing | early 1. month / usually around early February | 藏族跳神法会 |
| Tibetan | Tibetan Horse Race | Horse-racing | 5. day of 5. month / usually around early June | 藏族赛马会 |
| Tibetan | Flower Meeting | Singing | 14. day of 6. month / usually around mid July | 藏族“花儿”会 |
| Wa | Wooden Drum Playing Festival | Sacrificing; Singing & dancing | 11. month / usually around December | 佤族拉木鼓节 |
| Yao | Girls’ Street Festival | Goods exchanging; Singing and dancing | early 1. month / usually around early February | 瑶族姑娘街 |
| Yao | Bird Chasing Festival | Singing | 1. day of 2. month / usually around early March | 瑶族“赶鸟”节 |
| Yao | Ganba Festival | Bronze drum dance | 3. day of 3. month / usually around early April | 瑶族“干巴”节 |
| Yao | Xijiu Festival | Singing and dancing | 29. day of 5. month / usually around early July | 瑶族“夕九节” |
| Yao | Danu Festival | Singing and dancing; Martial Art | 29. day of 5. month / usually around early July | 瑶族“达努”节 |
| Yao | Panwang Festival | Sacrificing; Singing & dancing | 29. day of 5. month / usually around early July | 瑶族盘王节 |
| Yao | Guests Meat Treating Festival | Memorial of ancestors | 29. day of 5. month / usually around early July | 瑶族掌肉待客节 |
| Yao | Daogao Festival | Bull fighting | 16. day of 10. month / usually around mid November | 瑶族倒稿节 |
| Yao | Getang Festival | Dating; Mate-matching & singing | 16. day of 10. month / usually around mid November | 瑶族“歌堂”节 |
| Yi | Tiger Festival | Hu Sheng Dancing; Tiger Dance | 8-15. day of 1. month / usually around mid of February | 彝族虎节 |
| Yi | Flower Planting Festival | Flower Planting; Singing | 8. day of 2. month / usually around mid of March | 插花节 |
| Yi | Mouding March Festival | Goods exchanging; Folk songs & dancing | 27-29. day of 3. month / usually around end of April, beginning of May | 牟定“三月会” |
| Yi | Costume Competition Festival | Singing & Dancing; Grand Yi Ethnic Costumes | 28. day of 3. month / usually around end of April, beginning of May | 彝族赛衣节 |
| Yi | Torch Festival | Burning torches; Lighting fires; Wrestling; Bullfighting; Singing & Dancing | 24. day of 6. month / ususally around end of July | 火把节 |
| Yi | Mizhi Festival | God Worshiping | during the 11. month / usually around end of November, beginning of December | 彝族密枝节 |
| Zhuang | Longduan Festival | Opera; Circus; Singing and dancing | 25.-27. day of 3. month / usually around early May | 壮族陇端节 |
| Zhuang | Liulang Festival | Similar to the Spring Festival | 1. day of 6. month or 1. day of 7 month / usually around early July or August | 壮族六郎/ |
If you are interested to join such a festival in Yunnan or need further information on specific local celebrations or any other kind of travel support, feel free to contact us directly!