Yanganuo Festival

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"Yanganuo" is one of the festival from the Yiche Hani live in Dayangjie area. Yanganuo in Hani language mean something like "take a break and get together have fun". It happened each year after their plantation and must be fall on a monkey day. compared with the one in Jijie few days ago, here in Yangjie the festive atmosphere was immense, people from outside came back home for the festival, bus ticket was difficult to get from Honghe. and the festival ground was set in the middle of the open market square where everyone could attended, not the kind that blocked the local from their own festival. the weather was unstable for the last few days, but this morning the sun came up brightly, seem to answered to the Hani that they should have a nice day for celebration after the hard plantation work. The performance show started late and rather brief, and surprised there not even any opening speech from whoever big-shot in the county! later I find out because of the top man late arrival, the show had to start without his speech(thank God)!the show were standard with some tribal dance and song, music instrument etc. it was nice, but the welcome scene earlier were more interesting, couple of Hani women blocked the gate and stop any incoming cars, no entry until they swallowed the offered alcohol, or...should I say...forced! another team of women and men dance in wild movement, kind of like the African style, stomping steps and flipping arms, string, suona horn, drum, and guests coming through the reception area of human wall. and not before the show ready to start, they all created their own dancing ground and swinging madly. I like this kind of local participated festival. Other than the main show, they also organised photos exhibition and game like fish catching and seesaw flying swing in the nearby village.
The Yiche Hani is an unique tribe lived only around Dayangjie area. their traditional costume are special or...strange, strange is their headdress, like wearing a white colour plastic bag open up on the side, the special is their hot-pant, and the multi layer vest. In the old day they actually wear many vests, sometimes more than 15 pieces, but now they would made a vest look like many layers, I wouldn't blame them...it is more practical, more light and fresher. nowaday you wouldn't see anyone wear their costume in traditional way, only for show during festival. Today I saw young girls being dressed up by their grandma, not even their mother knew how to put on all the decorated jewellery, many girls looked disgust when they saw their hands blacken by the indigo of their dress, guess it was the first time they put on their costume! The legend depicted the costume style came down from their ancestor Prince Yiche, said he was chasing by his enemies, his jacket was being torn to sleeveless and trousers had been rived off into a kind of very shot pant while running madly through the bush of white flower, and the fairy came and covered his head with white towel, Prince Yiche hidden safety within the sea of white and survived. later he honored the deity to kept this dressing style for his tribe. so the white cap, short sleeve and hot pant became the unique outfit for the Yiche Hani. of course...there will be more silver decorated from the outside!

Finally the road from Nansha to Honghe had been finished, the journey is smooth and fast, now I think I will do some more tour into Honghe area, as I hadn't seen that much in those area. also the road from Honghe to Yuanjiang will soon open up for traffic officailly, but now you can charter a minibus for 150 yuan to run the trip, it made thing easiler if I want to travel up to the northwest Yunnan from this route in the future. And from Dayangjie there are also minibus go down to Yuanjiang through an unpaved road, quite ok on dry season, and it made a faster getaway to Kunming or other part of Yunnan. Road networks are far reach into the inner of the western China, it made traveling around much more easy but...also something vanished unnoticedly!

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Photos

scene
grandma help in dressing