Qiang New Year festival celebrated in SW China's Sichuan

Sichuan opera is staged during an event celebrating the Qiang New Year in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 19, 2025. An event celebrating the Qiang New Year was held here on Wednesday, starting a series of activities to celebrate the Qiang New Year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)

The Qiang people, one of China's oldest ethnic groups, are often regarded as a "living fossil" in the evolutionary history of the Chinese nation. Southwest China's Sichuan Province is home to the country's only Qiang ethnic enclave.

Every year, on the first day of the 10th lunar month, the Qiang people celebrate their most significant traditional festival -- the Qiang New Year. Centered around themes of worshiping heaven and expressing gratitude, they hold ceremonies during the festival to honor the gods, drive away evil, express gratitude for the harvest, and pray for blessings.

Qiang New Year festival was added by UNESCO to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024. 

Women in ethnic attire perform during an event celebrating the Qiang New Year in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 19, 2025. An event celebrating the Qiang New Year was held here on Wednesday, starting a series of activities to celebrate the Qiang New Year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)

Women in ethnic attire attend an event celebrating the Qiang New Year in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 19, 2025. An event celebrating the Qiang New Year was held here on Wednesday, starting a series of activities to celebrate the Qiang New Year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)

Women in ethnic attire perform during an event celebrating the Qiang New Year in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 19, 2025. An event celebrating the Qiang New Year was held here on Wednesday, starting a series of activities to celebrate the Qiang New Year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)

Women in ethnic attire attend an event celebrating the Qiang New Year in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 19, 2025. An event celebrating the Qiang New Year was held here on Wednesday, starting a series of activities to celebrate the Qiang New Year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)

Women in ethnic attire perform during an event celebrating the Qiang New Year in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 19, 2025. An event celebrating the Qiang New Year was held here on Wednesday, starting a series of activities to celebrate the Qiang New Year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)

A woman in ethnic attire attends an event celebrating the Qiang New Year in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 19, 2025. An event celebrating the Qiang New Year was held here on Wednesday, starting a series of activities to celebrate the Qiang New Year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua)