Zhuanshan Festival turned into cloud event

The physical celebration was canceled this year due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, and ritual activities were turned online.

Zhuanshan Festival, also known as the Mountain Worship Festival, is marked annually by Mosuo people near the Lugu Lake, northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang city on the 25th day of the 7th lunar month.

Physical activities in the past featured Mosuo people walking around the holy Gemu Mountain, praying for a bumper harvest and prosperity for coming generations. And that’s why the festival is named Zhuanshan.

Dressed up in holiday costumes, Mosuo folks also offered sacrifice to gods, singing and dancing. In May 2006, the festival was listed as a Yunnan cultural heritage.

Reporting by Mu Qiongxiao (Culture and Tourism Headlines); Photos by Ninglang intangible cultural heritage Center; Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi