| The traditional festivals of the Gelaos are similar to those of the Hans, such as the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival July Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, etc.
Spring Festival
It is the largest festival of the Gelaos. On the Spring Festival, every family will make a large Baba cake (a kind of rice cake) made of sticky rice, and offer it in a basket or a square plate to as sacrifices to the ancestors. People can eat the Baba cake after three days. Baba cake is the necessary food in the Gelaos' festivals. The feast to the guests and the Baba making are necessary practices for the Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival.
Ox King Festival
It is the special festival of the Gelao people, and falls on October 1 of the lunar calendar. On the occasion, the local people will slay chooks and prepare wine to worship the Ox King for good health of farm cattle. Every family that raises the cattle will free their livestock from farming one day, and feed the cattle with their best feedstuff. In addition, two Baba cakes made from sticky rice will be hung on the two horns of the cattle. They pull the cattle to the riverbank and let it look in the mirror, trying to make it happy, and then they take the cakes down to feed the cattle.
Fresh Tasting Festival
By the time of the ripeness of grains prior to the harvest in July and August of each lunar calendar year, Fresh Tasting Festival, the Gelao people choose one day for fresh eating (also referred to as fresh tasting), worshiping the ancestors, thanking for the forebears' kindness and praying for good weather for crops in the coming year. On the very day of the worship, the housewife of every family goes to the field to collect fresh corps and gets food ready for the worship. In some areas, people will slay chooks and pigs. They will slaughter cow to worship the heaven and horse for the terra. On the day of Fresh Eating, the one who takes fresh crop from whatever family won't be regarded as mischievous, on the contrary, as honorable. |
