The Nu ethnic minority lives mainly in the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province.The languages spoken by all four branches of the Nu ethnic minority belong to the Tibetan-Burmese branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family.
Traditional festivals of the Nu ethnic minority include Lunar new year;the Fairy Festival from March 15th to 17th of the lunar year;the Ruwei Festival on December 29 of the lunar year,when sacrifices are offered to the rice deity;and the Festival of Mountains on January 4th or 5th of the lunar year.
The Nu people living in Gongshan County of Yunnan Province celebrate the Fairy,or Flower Festival,for three days each year from March 15th to 17th.
Two main theories exist as regards the origins of the festival.One is that it is a primitive worship ritual;the other that it is a remnant of the Nu female adoration ritual under the ancient matriarchal clan system.The Nu people pay tribute to fairies,or immortals,to invoke their blessing for a good harvest.
Legend has it that Nu deity was originally a young Nu woman called A-Rong.Inspired by a spider's web,she created a kind of rope-bridge that enabled the Nu people to cross the Nujiang River.A-Rong also carved out an irrigation channel from the mountain springs to the banks of the Nujiang River that transformed to green vast desolate mountain tracts.
The legend tells of how the chief of the Hou tribe tried to force A-Rong to marry him.A-Rong refused,and fled into the mountains.But the evil chief pursued her and eventually on March 15 of the lunar year,burned A-Rong to death.The Nu people worship A-Rong as an immortal,in appreciation of her contributions to their lives.They celebrate the Fairy Festival on March 15 every year in her honor.
On the early morning of March 15,the Nu people dressed in their festival best pick bunches of azaleas which they place in the so-called Fairy Cave as a ritual sacrifice and mark of devotion.
When the memorial ceremony is over,young and old alike enjoy an open air feast.They later gather around a bonfire to perform dances featuring bouquets of fresh flowers,sing and tell stories.Festival activities also include ball games and archery events.
The Nu ethnic minority is one of China's smaller ethnic groups.As the Nu people live on the border with Myanmar,Laos and Vietnam,external factors have impact on their traditional culture.There was a hiatus until 1978 in events such as the Fairy Festival.The Chinese government has since paid close attention to the protection of intangible cultural heritage.The Nu Fairy Festival appears on the first national intangible cultural heritage list of May 20,2006.
