Wind Forbidden Festival

Time: the 20th of January in Chinese lunar calendar

Wind Forbidden Festival is celebrated by the Yao people in the village of Miaoping of Lingui County on the 20th of January in Chinese lunar calendar. According to local tales, in ancient time, the God of Wind became angry with the villagers and brought disasters to the village. Later on, with the help of one immortal, local people forbid all the sounds and winds on the 20th of January to make sacrifices to the God of Wind and it drove away the disasters, hence the festival. There’re many activities, like beating the gongs and drums, lion dancing and opera singing. When night falls, people begin to sing local folk songs in antiphonal style. The festival used to forbid all the sounds and winds, and now it is a happy festive event.