The Harvest Ceremony, celebrated by the Gaoshan people, is usually held on the fifth day of the eighth lunar month. Gaoshan people speak their own language but, because this has no written form, they write in Chinese.
Their religious beliefs are based on worshipping nature, spiritual beings and heaven, though some converted to Christianity when it was brought to China. Their traditional festivals are all religion-based and focus on sacrifice. The most important of all these ceremonies is the Harvest ceremony and it is celebrated by all the Gaoshan people. It is the Gaoshan equivalent of the Han Spring Festival; everyone wears their best clothes – women wear flowers, bracelets and jewellery, men wear feathers in their hair or feather hats, while children wear small bells around their ankles. The celebrations involve singing, dancing, drinking wine and eating meat; everyone gets involved.
For young people seeking partners, the singing and dancing are vital parts of the ceremony. Dancing skills are displayed: boys with impressive singing, dancing and farming skills will find himself the focus of much attention; girls who see a boy they like can dance up to him, letting the steps do the talking for her. Everyone joins in, though, for the Hand-in-Hand Dance, where all the participants sing and dance without music. This dance has been performed for more than a thousand years, both for special occasions and for fun. The singing is led by one person and the lyrics are in remembrance of heroes of legend or ancestors. Hundreds of thousands of people can be involved in this special dance all at once, making for a spectacular sight.
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