Date of the festival:
It is kicked off on the 15th day of the first lunar month and lasts for four or five days every year.

Ethnic minorities and places to celebrate:
Jingpo ethnic minority in Yunnan Province

Festival origin:

Jingpo Munao Festival, also called "Zongge" (纵歌), the "singing and dancing together" in the Jingpo language, is the most important traditional festival of the Jingpo people.

The festival dates back to the primitive society age. The major activity of the festival is singing and dancing. Before the activity begins, four wooden poles are erected in the center of the dancing ground to worship the sun and guide the dancing route. Swords and spears are placed beside the poles to symbolize the intrepid and resolute characters of the Jingpo people.

According to the legend, the Munao dance originated from birds' dance, a wooden toucan and peacock are engraved in the crosspieces at both ends of the pole. A living bamboo pole is erected in front of the wooden poles, symbolizing an evergreen tree of life. On top of the bamboo pole, there's a horizontal board bearing the image of the Himalayas, a legendary place of the genesis of the Jingpo people.

Along with the development of times, the Munao Song and Dance Festival has become a traditional Jingpo festival featuring singing and dancing as a way of celebrating a bumper harvest.

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