Qingzhen celebrates New Year of Yi ethnic group

Qingzhen city holds an event to celebrate the New Year of the Yi ethnic group. [Photo/gzqz.gov.cn]

The New Year of the Yi ethnic group was celebrated on Dec 20 in Qingzhen city -- a county-level city in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

More than 500 people from the Yi and other ethnic groups from inside and outside Guizhou province dressed up in festive costumes and marked the New Year in local Hushan Yi village. 

The event kicked off with a solemn sacrificial ceremony, followed by wonderful ethnic performances and a traditional Yi ethnic dinner, ending with a bonfire party.

A dance performance featuring Yi ethnic group's style is staged at the celebration of the group's New Year, Dec 20. [Photo/gzqz.gov.cn]

It showcased the ethnic group's culture, enhanced cultural self-confidence and increased exchanges between various ethnic groups. 

The New Year of the Yi ethnic group is a unique ethnic festival, based on the group's solar calendar which divides a year into 10 months. The solar calendar is widely used in the Yi ethnic areas in production and social activities such as weddings, funerals, folk festivals and sacrificial ceremonies. 

Che Weiwei contributed to the story.