The ethnic Dong people living in the village of Baojing, in Guizhou province hold their Onion-Asking Festival on April 21, which they also chose to celebrate a housewarming with their new houses.
 |
| New residences in the village of Baojing. [Photo/Zhang Jihui] |
The village was struck by a fire on Jan 25, 2014 that destroyed 148 wooden buildings and 296 households, but no casualties have been reported.
The Baojing village holds 470 households and nearly 2,000 inhabitants, over 1,000 of them had to live in tents because of the fire.
So, the local government, concerned with their condition, began reconstructing the housing and completed it in less than a year.
 |
|
Women of the Dong ethnic group in traditional costume and men with pipes sing folk songs. [Photo/Zhang Jihui] |
The locals choose to celebrate completion of their new houses on this festival, on April 21, which is March 3 of Chinese lunar calendar. The local Dong people consider the date as good and lucky and housewarming on this day will bring them happiness.
 |
|
People celebrate Tao Cong Festival with a long table lunch, in Baojing, Guizhou, on April 21. [Photo/ Zhang Jihui] |
The Onion-Asking Festival is a romantic time for young people, who sing folk songs and have lunch on long tables and have a traditional courtship activity called "onion-asking", where the young men asks for spring onions from the girls they like,if the girl agrees to offer spring onions, it is highly symbolically, as it means engagement in Western cultures.
Baojing Dong Village, built 300 years ago, is the biggest Dong village in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture of Guizhou. It was one of China's most complete such settlements, known for well-preserved ancient Dong-style dwellings.
