Family feasting rings in happy New Year for Miao people

Family feasting rings in happy New Year for Miao people

Since Saturday, festivities have been taking place for the ethnic Miao people in Leishan county, where it's all about feasting with the family.

For the ethnic Miao people in Danggao Village, New Year's Eve dinner wouldn't be complete without fish, so Mo Nainong and her sister-in-law set out eagerly to catch some.

Fish in the paddy fields eat unhusked rice, especially after harvest time. This gives them a particularly delicious flavor. But having fish on the dinner table also holds symbolic importance for the Miao people.

"Fish have a strong reproductive capacity. Miao people use them to worship their ancestors, in order to receive blessings. So fish symbolizes that the Miao people are flourishing," Miao expert Tang Qianwu said.

After going fishing, Mo Nainong's family prepares to make sticky rice cakes.

Besides fish and sticky rice cakes, there are also chicken, duck and vegetables. At about six o'clock, it's time for New Year's Eve Dinner. But before eating, everyone must drink some rice wine. Family members then sing a song and propose a toast, happy for the year's abundant harvest. But this dinner is only the beginning of their New Year celebration, as the party rages on for a whole week.