Desk News: The traditional frog festival of China’s Zhuang ethnic group was held with the participation of thousands of local and foreign tourists. “Frogs Festival” is called the “Maguai Festival” by the people of the Zhuang ethnic group in their local dialect. Bangladeshi tourists along with domestic and foreign tourists participate in this festival to witness the deep history, magnificent culture, and enchanting scenery of the traditional festival of Zhuang nationality.

The unique traditional Frog Festival is held on the second day of the second month of the Chinese lunar calendar in Donglan County, Guangxi Autonomous Region of China. The local administration of Donglan County fully supported the celebration of the festival.

The most solemn and lively activity of the Frog Festival is singing frogs in traditional costumes and dancing to the melodious sound of bronze drums. Foreign tourists along with Bangladeshis participating in the festival experience bronze drum beating, frog dancing, and bamboo pole dancing.

Md Mahfuzur Rahman, a Bangladeshi student studying at the Guilin University of Electronic Technology, who participated in the festival, said that the simplicity, connection with nature, and generosity of the minority people here really make them a unique ethnic group in the world. I am really happy and surprised to witness such a unique festival. It really helps me to think differently about life and nature. The main thing I learned from them is to respect nature and be happy with what you have.

Moreover, events such as plow dance, harvest dance, blessing dance, Zhuang jingle, folk song duet, and bonfire party are staged in turn. Unique folk activities also attract tourists. The younger ones dress the older ones in the hope of blessings. A variety of colors are applied to the cheeks.

During the festival, Zhuang ethnic people worship the frog as the god of rain and wind. They fervently believe that the god frog is in charge of wind and rain. The local people pay homage to the long-lived old frog spirit, burn incense, religiously worship the frog, and at the same time pray for good weather, abundant crops, and prosperity for humans and animals in all seasons.

China is a unified multi-ethnic country of 56 ethnic groups. The majority of the population (91.6 percent) is the Han ethnic group. China’s other 55 ethnic groups are traditionally referred to as ethnic minorities. Among these is the Zhuang minority community, who live in China’s Guangxi Autonomous Region.

Photo and Text Credits: Pan Jian and Gao Dongfeng