The Miao nationality pays great attention to etiquette, especially with respect to the treatment of guests. For instance, when a guest visits, the host kills a chicken or a duck to entertain and feed the guest. If the guest comes from afar or has a long journey, the host will first invite the guest to drink an alcohol called Horn spirit. When the chicken is eaten, the chicken head is presented to the senior member of the feast, while the senior himself presents the youngest with a chicken leg. Another common tradition steeped in etiquette is a chicken/duck heart sharing custom unique to the Miao. The eldest person of the family uses chopsticks to pick up the chicken/duck heart and presents it to the guest. However, the guest cannot eat the whole chicken heart. He or she must share the chicken heart with the elder that has just presented him or her with the gift. If the guest has a low alcohol tolerance or does not like eating fat meat, he or she can explain the reason to the host. While the host surely won’t look down upon a guest that requests minimal refreshments, they do regard gluttony or over-indulgence as an insult to the host.
Glutinous rice cake is a customary dessert used when Miao men and women fall in love and get married. It is also used as a sort of valentine for admirers to express their feelings. For instance, the Miao girls and boys of Hunan present glutinous rice cakes to each other in which a mandarin duck is drawn as love tokens. The host of a wedding asks bride and groom to eat glutinous rice cake in which a dragon, phoenix and Feng doll are drawn. Also, at the wedding ceremony a bride and groom must drink Jiaobei spirit together from special cups. In doing so the bride and groom cross their wrists and drink wine from their own cup.
