Frost ’s Descent Festival : A Grand Event of Zhuang Ethnic Minority

（By Chen Zhiying）Frost's Descent Festival is a typical folk activity of the Zhuang ethnic group and ismainly popular in the Tianzhuang, Daxin, Debao, and other counties of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Every September in the lunar calendar, during the frosty period after the end of the late rice harvest, the Zhuang people use the new glutinous rice to make special food to entertain friends and family. People also have the opportunity to make friends, call on relatives, take part in singing and dancing activities, as well as sell agricultural products and purchase appliances for work and living during the festival.

Legends behind the festival

Frost’s Descent Festival in Xialei Town, Daxin County is the most distinctive among other towns. Its origin is related to the legend of Cen Yuyin and her husband Xu Wenying. It is said in the late Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), Cen Yuyin and her husband rode oxen to the coastal areas of Fujian Province to fight against Japanese pirates. She used her troops decisively and predicted things like God and defeated the invading Japanese pirates many times, and was awarded a reward by the emperor. Local people in Xialei Town, Chongzuo City, also built a temple to the brave female. Because she defeated the Japanese pirates on the day of Frost’s Descent, people held a sacrifice ceremony on this day to commemorate her and this commemoration gradually became the Frost’s Descent Festival. That’s the origin of the Frost’s Descent Festival. Until now, it has a history of more than 300 years.

Lively and strong festival atmosphere

The Frost’s Descent Festival is held around October 23 in the solar calendar. The festival lasts for three days and is divided into three stages, namely “initial descent”, “ongoing descent” and “final descent”. During the festival, people eat sweet dumplings, kill ducks, and burn incenses for ancestors, showing a strong festival atmosphere. On the day of the “initial descent”, the tradition is to offer sacrifices to cattle and let them rest on this day, since Zhuang people think highly of the cattle and even have a particular festival for them. In addition, people have been busy making zongzi and killing ducks and chickens, and inviting relatives and friends to celebrate the festival together. Because Xialei Town is in the border area of Daxin, TianDai, Jingxi and Debao counties, therefore, people from the four counties and other places came to Xialei Town to celebrate the festival. The merchants set up their stalls early, offering everything from production tools to food and cloth.

In the morning of “ongoing descent”, people hold worship activities. Usually, people first went to temples to offer sacrifices, such as zongzi, meat, incenses and so on. 

Some people dress up as soldiers, holding flags, beating gongs and drums, and carrying the portraits of Cen Yuyin out for a cruise, during which firecrackers will be set off.

In the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), not only the common people needed to sacrifice, but also the local officials had to dress in official clothes and lead the people to worship. Evening is the time for cultural and sports activities. Often, people set up a stage to perform local opera (Zhuang Opera). Young people began to sing folk songs in twos and threes. Among the colorful activities, the most worth mentioning is three-person board shore relay. It is said that the sport originated in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). At that time, generals trained their solders to work together by having every warrior wear a pair of wooden shoes and run in same steps. As a result, strict military disciplines were formed. Later, it gradually evolved into a entertainment tool. The activity continued until the end of the “final descent”, forming a large-scale song fair and even a splendid event.

It’s said that things bought during the Frost’s Descent Festival are auspicious and durable. Because of this traditional belief, people are especially willing to buy production tools and living utensils during the Frost’s Descent Festival. In the old days, they would save money and buy new things during the festival. Children also especially look forward to the coming of the day, because they will have new clothes to wear and abundant food to eat. The merchants who do business mainly come from 

provinces like Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and cities such as Baise, Chongzuo and Nanning. Not only at home, but also in the market, everywhere brims with strong festival atmosphere.

Nowadays, the festival has developed from a simple celebration of the harvest into a comprehensive folklore activity for paying tribute to the sacrifices of national heroes, conducting business activities, and performing folk culture performances. On Nov.11, 2014, the festival has also been included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage expansion projects, busting out its unique vitality in the modern society and demonstrating its distinctive features to later generations.

Source: China-ASEAN Panorama