The Traditional Winter Pork Feast of Wulong

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In the southwest of China, women devote themselves to fattening pigs after every autumn harvest. Every day they bring back the potatoes and artichokes from the fields. They wash and dry the pig food, chop it into pieces, cook it in a pot, and pour a large scoop of cornmeal into the pot to mix evenly. Then they pour the food into the pig trough.
At the end of November, people will slaughter the fattened pigs and prepare for the pork feast.
Before each household slaughters the pigs, neighbors will discuss when they’ll do it in case other families are planning it on the same day. After the time is agreed upon, the butcher will be called and the invitations to the pork feast will be officially sent out.
Many households even hold a family meeting to list the names of friends and acquaintances for the feast, and then they’ll call to invite them.
The butchers are the most respected and busiest people in the village. They are wrapped in a thick layer of grease all day long, running from house to house. 
Many of them have been training for this since childhood. They have slaughtered thousands of pigs, so they’re very skilled.
When the pork feast starts, people will sit around the table. Customarily, the central room is for the elders and important guests, while the others can sit at the aisle table under the eaves or in the courtyard.
The main course of the feast is generally eight dishes: fried pork with pickled pepper, fried pork with pickled radish, stewed fat intestine with soy beans, pork chops and vermicelli soup, stewed pork bone with white turnip, boiled blood with vegetables, stir-fried pork liver with pickled pepper, and spicy fried kidney.
When the guests are seated, the host will have a few opening remarks to thank God for sending a year of good weather and thank the relatives and friends for their care and support during the year. After that, the host will give a toast to everyone, first at the elderseryonee and then the other guests as well.
The neighbors who want to butcher their pigs for the feast the next day will announce their schedule and invite all the guests present. They would like everyone to come, of course.
The pork feast has been passed down through generations since ancient times. It is a Wulong tradition every winter and something that the locals look forward to and take tremendous pride in.

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