The majority of the Hani people (1.273 million)in Yunnan live in Honghe Prefecture, Xishuangbanna and Simao Region.
The Hani are skilled water terraced-rice field builders. Water terraced-rice fields in Yuanyang County of Honghe Prefecture, in particular, are beautiful landscapes on the grand scale, built into unbelievably numerous stairs and with much difficulty; you can´t imagine how they manage to build them.
Rice is a staple food on Hani diet. Sticky rice and sticky rice cakes are eaten in great quantity during the New Year. The Hani people are fond of sour and spicy food, such as vinegar meat, sour bamboo shoots and salted beans.
Kuzhazha is one of the most important Hani festivals. It starts on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month and lasts for three to six days. It is a Hani tradition to honor the God of Rice with sacrificed livestock on this occasion.
Young people play on the swing, sing and dance on the playground. When evenings falls, all the villagers gather around the bonefire. Young men sing love songs accompanied by musical instruments, waiting anxiously for the girls to respond.
The Zhalete, also called the “New Year of the Tenth Month”, ia a 5-day festival celebrated in the tenth lunar month. The main household ceremonial activity is to honor the ancestors and the God of Heaven with sacrificed pigs and chickens. This is a time to visit relatives and friends, and to make marriage proposals and arrangements.
In Yuanyang, the Long Street Feast marks the climax of the festival. All the villagers pitch in, bringing home food and drinks to put on the “long street”, a long line of tables arranged in the shape of a dragon on the main road of the village.
The grand-scale joyful “pot luck” party is coupled with a strong sense of competition for the best dish. Whoever wins the contest will feel proud for the rest of the year.
