Festivals in Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie International Forest Protection Festival

Time: September every year

Origin: Zhangjiajie boasts the first national forest park in China. Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area in the Zhangjiajie National Forest park was included in the world natural heritage list in 1992 and has the most scientific and aesthetic values, with 3,103 cloud-surrounded quartz standstone peaks rising straight from the ground, presenting wonderful scenery. The area are home to many kinds of rare animals. The local government sponsors the Zhangjiajie International Forest Protection Festival by relying on the excellent forest resources.

What's on: Forest tours, geological tours, drifting along the Maoyan River, the international mountaineering invitational tournament,the rockclimbing competition, and performances of songs and dances, qigong (deep breathing exercises) and rockclimbing by the Tujia people.

Tujia New Years' Festival

Torch Festival of the Bai People
The Bai people riside in Zhangjiajie celebrate their Torch Festival in lunar June 25. As evening came, the Bai people light many torches at home and take them to a same outdoor space. They make a big bonfire with the torches there  and step over the fire again and again. They pray to the Fire God to help them eliminate the pathogenic factor, kill the injurious insects in their fileds and bring them a bumper harvest.

Other Special Festivals

-Sagebrush Festival: lunar March 3, the locals celebrate this festival by eating a kind of glutinous cake which made from sagebrush and rice.

-Buddha Bathing Day: lunar April 8, this festival is also known as the local labor day. All the farmers will have one day break today.
 
-Dragon Boat Festival: Lunar May 5, people do many things today, hold dragon boat race, send a god's (a god who is named Zhangzhenren, he is a legendary Taoist god excelling in arresting the ghosts )pictures to the local temples, parents dot their children's foreheads with realgar for avoiding evil influences, make Zongzi (Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Bamboo Leaves), drink calamus tea, put the felon herbs on their doors.

-Air Garments Festival: Lunar June 6. It is one of the Tujia people's most important festival. Tujia people put garments out in the sun today to  commemorate their chieftain, Qinhou, in the Ming dynasty.
 
-Qixi Festival: Lunar July 7. After supper, women weaving or doing their needle work under the moon; they offer fruits and other offerings to Zhi Nu (lit. the Weaving Girl. She is good at weaving and needle work in an ancient Chinese tales)

-Birth Day of the Sun: Lunar Nov.19, every family members get up early to burn incense and offer sacrifice to the sun.