The Water Splashing Festival is an annual grand folk traditional festival of the Li and Miao ethnic groups in Baoting. The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is a good day for the seven fairies and Dong Yong to meet on the Magpie Bridge. Now it is China’s Valentine’s Day. In Baoting County, a聚居地 of ethnic minorities in southern Hainan, people splash hot spring water on their sweethearts, fully expressing their sweet love. The 2024 Hainan Qixian Hot Spring Water Splashing Festival will be held from August 9th to 11th, with the theme of ‘Romantic Qixi, Fairies Come to Baoting’. It mainly conducts eight major activities. First, the ‘Looking for the Seven Fairies’ activity. In mid-July, the ‘Looking for the Seven Fairies’ activity will be launched on online platforms, open to public selection. Through online preliminary selection, offline training camps and offline finals, seven ‘Seven Fairies’ representing Baoting’s ‘Seven Fairies’ culture will be selected and participate in various series of activities of the Water Splashing Festival. Second, the holy water fetching ceremony. On the morning of August 9th, according to traditional customs, seven fairies and elders will go to the holy water pool of Qixian Yaochi in accordance with Li ethnic customs to conduct the holy water fetching ceremony. Third, the Li and Miao ethnic style welcome night. On the evening of August 9th, an interactive evening party with unique Li and Miao cultural characteristics and strong public participation will be held at Baoting Qixian Cultural Square. Welcome guests from afar with enthusiastic ethnic songs and dances, and jointly attend a wonderful cultural feast. Fourth, the opening ceremony of the Water Splashing Festival. On the morning of August 10th, a grand opening ceremony of the Water Splashing Festival will be held at Baoting Qixian Cultural Square. Conduct the holy water welcoming and blessing ceremony and song and dance performances, presenting everyone with a visual feast with extremely Li and Miao characteristics. Fifth, the joyous grand parade. After the opening ceremony on August 10th, there will be 20 parade phalanxes composed of various townships, government agencies, and tourism enterprises with different cultural themes and different performance forms conducting a joyous grand parade in the main streets of the county seat, interacting and splashing water with the masses, and jointly celebrating ethnic traditional festivals. Sixth, the traditional folk water splashing carnival. After the joyous grand parade ends, all parade phalanxes will return to Baoting Qixian Cultural Square and immerse all tourists and the masses in experiencing the new and fancy water splashing gameplay of ‘Li music + electronic music + water splashing’, jointly having a water splashing carnival and praying for good weather, good fortune and peace in the coming year. In addition, on the next day, that is, in the afternoon of August 11th, the ‘Li Village Water Show’ activity will also be staged for everyone at Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Tourism Area, continuing the enthusiasm for water splashing and the joy of carnival. Seventh, the ethnic minority water sports carnival. On the afternoon of August 10th, a series of ethnic water sports and fun water sports competitions such as three-person dragon boats, water bicycles, single bamboo drifting, single-person paddleboarding, water windmills, and double-handed floating pads will be held on Baoting Qixian River. The general public and tourists can all participate in it and fully feel the fun of water sports.
First, there is the ‘Qixianhui’ hip market. From August 9th to 11th in the evening, a hip market will be set up in Aibaoting Food Culture City. There will be special booths for food, cultural and creative products, brand promotion, leisure and entertainment, etc. And the activity of ‘fairies descending to the mortal world’ will be carried out in the market to create a nighttime activity atmosphere and enrich the consumption formats of nighttime economy.
The full text is open from August 9th to August 11th.
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