Yao ethnic group dries red clothes to usher in festive day in S China
Updated: July 9, 2019 17:10Xinhua
NANNING — The Red Yao ethnic group in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region celebrates its annual “drying clothes festival” on July 8.
Living in the mountainous area in the city of Guilin, Guangxi, the ethnic group is renowned for its distinctive red clothes.
Every year on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, usually a sunny day, the Red Yao people hang up their clothes. The balconies and corridors of families in the villages are filled with all kinds of clothes mainly in bright red, forming a spectacular scene.
During the one-day festival, the Red Yao people take part in folklore performances and hold ethnic style wedding ceremonies, attracting new couples nationwide. Dog worshipping activities are also included as they believe that the dog is their benefactor. The local clothes contain dog totems as an essential part.
The drying clothes festival is the Red Yao’s second-most-important festival following the Spring Festival.
Guangxi is in South China and borders Vietnam, and has 11 ethnic minorities living in the region.