According to legend, the fairy that people mourn is a beautiful girl named Arong in Jimude Village. She invented bamboo slips flying over the Nujiang River, took pains to split the Gaoligong Mountain, and brought out sweet spring water for people on the Gaoligong Mountain, watering the Nujia Caotang, which was arid and barren all the year round, turning the rocks on both sides of the river into fertile soil and the barren hills into green fields. Ah Rong's name spread all over the Nujiang River. People call her a fairy and worship her very much.
Ah Rong's beauty makes the hateful leader feel distressed, and the leader wants to occupy Ah Rong. Ah Rong had to hide in the deep mountains and in the caves of Gaoligong Mountain. The head man never gave up, and chased him to the foot of the mountain, asking Miss Arong to come out and marry him. Miss Arong didn't promise him. On the fifteenth day of the third lunar month, the chief set fire to Miss Aron in the cave.
The fifteenth day of the third lunar month is in the spring of March, and flowers are in full bloom on both sides of the Nujiang River. In order to commemorate this smart, capable and strong girl, Nu people designated this day as Flower Festival, and worshipped her on this day every year, gradually forming the custom of Fairy Festival. According to legend, the fairy named Arong was mourned by people. In order to escape the forced marriage of the first person, she hid in a cave and turned into a stone statue. According to legend, it happened to be the fifteenth day of the third lunar month. People pay tribute to this smart, capable and strong girl on this day every year. Fairy Festival is mainly to commemorate the legendary clever and capable fairy Ah Rong. Legend has it that Arong lives in Jimude village. She invented a bamboo rope to let the local Nu people cross the Nu River, and also attracted a sweet mountain spring in Gaoligong Mountain. In order to escape the first man's forced marriage, she hid in a cave and turned into a stone statue. Legend has it that the day she died was the fifteenth day of the third lunar month. Therefore, from the second year after her death, the Nu people held sacrificial activities for her on this day. According to the fourth article "Land" of "Collecting Grass and Putong", on the top of the mountain behind Lodala in C, there is a cave commonly known as the Fairy Cave. Fiona Fang is seventy or eighty feet long and bottomless. There is a bird's nest in the hole, which is white and thick, and it is not easy to take. On March 15 every year, foreigners, men, women and children, drink and eat meat, and go to Chaoshan in droves. After sleeping around the cave all night, they came back in groups the next day. The former held the flag, while the latter knocked on the gong, singing and drinking all the way. When they got home, they got together to drink, and the joy began to break up. "After the fairy festival was developed, some changes have taken place in the form of holding it. In addition to traditional projects, some new contents have been added.
Fairy Festival begins on March 15 of the lunar calendar every year and lasts for three days. Festival activities include three main activities: offering sacrifices to the fairy cave and welcoming holy water, singing, dancing and praying, and sports competitions. Thousands of people attend the Fairy Festival every year. Everyone dressed in festive costumes, with sacrifices, sacrifices and wine, gathered in front of the fairy cave from the surrounding villages. Lamas in Puhua Temple beat gongs and drums, chanted sutras, and everyone kowtowed, offering gifts, flowers, seeds and wine. Legend has it that the stalactites turned from Arong in the cave will flow out of fairy milk, that is, "holy water". Young women enter the cave to receive holy water, and then everyone drinks, sings and dances all night, praying for fairies and mountain gods to bless well-being, happiness, abundant crops and prosperity of six livestock. At the same time, ethnic sports activities such as crossbow shooting, running and arm wrestling are also carried out.
Fairy Festival is the largest traditional festival of Nu people, which contains rich Nu culture. The folk dances, legends and music of the Nu people are preserved and displayed during the festival. Its festival activities spread all over the Nu villages in Bingzhongluo Township, with a broad mass base, reflecting the concept of natural belief and reproductive belief. Influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, it is of high value to study the historical and cultural changes and national spirit of the Nu people. Nu nationality is one of the ethnic groups with a small population in China, and its traditional culture is easily influenced by external factors. The inheritance of the Fairy Festival was once interrupted, and it was not restored until after the reform and opening up. The traditional culture of Nu people contained in the Fairy Festival is still facing the fierce impact of foreign cultures. When offering sacrifices, pine smoke should be lit, and the priest should read a congratulatory message and beat the drum to chant Buddhist scripture. Then everyone kowtowed and prayed for the fairy's blessing. After the ceremony, families held banquets and drank wine, while young men and women in holiday clothes went to an open place to hold archery competitions. At the same time, various material exchange meetings are held to attract local people of all ethnic groups to buy. On the morning of the festival, the cave with stalactites was chosen as the fairy cave in each village. The Nu people put on their costumes, brought prepared sacrifices and picnics, held bunches of flowers in their hands, and went to the cave near the village to offer sacrifices, worship their fairy, Ah Rong, and hold dinners and various entertainment activities. People eat, drink, sing and dance, and the whole valley is immersed in a quaint and grand festive atmosphere.
Because some Nu people believe in Tibetan Buddhism, there are many prayer flags and thangkas hanging around the altar in front of Fairy Cave. The altar was filled with all kinds of sacrifices, and old people in red and yellow religious uniforms sat on both sides of the altar. They play suona, drum, gong and chant. There is a 3-meter-high incense burner next to the altar, with pine branches, flowers and colorful flags on it, and old corn on the top of a long bamboo pole. Pine branches symbolize good luck and eternal happiness, corn symbolizes bumper harvest and more than a year, and flowers are dedicated to the fairy A Rong.
In the sound of drums and music, believers walked around the altar incense burner with flowers in their hands and inserted them between the bamboo poles of the incense burner. After that, people go to the fairy cave to worship flowers and drink fairy water.
After the whole sacrificial ceremony, families held banquets and drank wine, and people sat around the hillside, putting the prepared food on the ground covered with pine needles and eating and drinking. They sang while eating and drinking, and stepped on cheerful dance steps when they got up. The hillside is full of quaint and grand festive atmosphere. Young men and women in holiday costumes go to an open place to take part in archery competitions. At the same time, various materials exchange meetings will be held to attract local people of all ethnic groups to buy. At night, young men and women light bonfires. By the campfire, they sang love songs and danced happily all night.
With the development of the times, the ritual of offering sacrifices to fairies has gradually faded, and singing and dancing for fun and sports competition have become the main activities of Fairy Festival. When offering sacrifices, pine smoke is lit, the priest reads a congratulatory message, and chanting with drums. Then everyone kowtowed and prayed for the fairy's blessing. After the sacrifice, families hold banquets and drink wine, while young men and women wear holiday costumes to an open place for archery competitions.
At the same time, various material exchange meetings are held to attract people. At this time, it is also the season when the local azaleas are in full bloom. People should present bunches of azaleas to the fairies.