Love actually, is all around China
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The Gexu of Zhuang nationality: communicate tender love through song exchanges
Like the Bai nationality, the Zhuang people also observed a distinct tradition of song exchanges, especially on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month, the Zhuang peoples’ love-themed festival called gexu (the song market). The "xu" refers to the community market in the area, and so gexu points to an event in which people assemble as in the marketplace and exchange songs.
The majority of exchange songs not only bear strong relation to the theme of love, they also convey traditional knowledge, such as geography, history, methods of production, or various other themes, such as prayers for good harvest and riddles. When an unmarried man and woman have exchanged songs, they move on to the centre stage in which they begin to court each other. At the end of the song exchanges, women may secretly throw an embroidered ball to her beloved.
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The Flower arrangement festival of Yi nationality: flower in hair, love in heart
The Flower arrangement festival falls on the 8th day of the 10th lunar year, which is also a traditional occasion for Yi people to express their love.During that time every year, there are cherry blossoms, camellia and azalea all over the mountains and plains. Yi people climb mountains in throngs to pick up fresh flowers and put them around houses and gardens and even build up a trellis to call down a blessing on the crops.
Considered as a day to herald true love, young men usually put fresh flowers in the hair of their beloved women, symbolizing the innocence and constancy of their love
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The Kuzhazha Festival of Hani nationality: Show your charm to your love
The Kuzhazha Festival, also known as the New Year of the Sixth Lunar Month, is a grand gathering for the hani people to adjust themselves both physically and mentally for the coming harvest and the sacrifices to the gods. This is also a perfect chance for the young people of different villages to meet and date.
During the festival, disparate Hani-styled sport activities are held, most of which call for the bravery, consistency and high-level skills of the male participants. Those who excel in such activities receive admiration from the spectators and even win love from beautiful women. After the activity draws to end, numerous couples then dance and sing together, bringing the binge to a climax.
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The Dai nationality Valentine’s Day: If you like me, throw the ball to me
The Valentine’s Day of the Dai nationality falls on the 14th day of the 4th lunar year, one day after the renownedWater-Splashing Festival, the New Year of the Dai ethnic minority.
On that day, two rows of people, one row male, and the other female, stand opposite under a Chinese banyan, each holding an embroidered ball and ready to throw it to the one on which he or she may have a crush. If one woman attracts the attention of many men, the embroidered ball she throws will lead to a fierce competition. Eager to become her lover, men swarm to snatch the ball, ending up in a funny scenario you definitely do not want to miss.
