Gelao Bird-Worshipping Festival

The Gelao Bird-Worshipping Festival is a comprehensive folk activity passed down through generations among the Gelao people in Shiqian. It originated from the ancestors of the Gelao ethnic group, who worshipped the bird deity while reclaiming wasteland and building their homes. Local elders say the festival dates back to the Tang Dynasty. According to the genealogy of the Deng Clan in Yaoshang, calculated based on fifteen generations of descendants, the festival has a history of no less than 300 years.

Centered on bird worship, the festival also embraces well-preserved ecological landscapes, traditional residential architecture and vibrant living folk customs. It carries profound cultural value, featuring distinct ethnic and regional characteristics as well as diverse social functions.

Also known as the Eagle-Worshipping Festival, it falls on the first day of the second lunar month every year. The festival was once prevalent in Gelao villages across 11 Gelao and Dong townships out of the 18 townships in Shiqian County, and every Gelao family observes this tradition at home. Today, Yaoshang Gelao Ethnic Village in Shiqian remains the most representative site where the festival is fully preserved.

Following the Chinese zodiac cycle, a grand sacrificial ceremony is held once every twelve years in the Year of the Rooster. Hosted by the whole village or clans sharing the same surname, the grand ceremony invites Buddhist and Taoist practitioners as well as opera troupes to perform rituals and entertain deities. In other years, families hold simple household sacrifices individually.