Dong people ‘shout to the sky’ to pray for good weather for crops

The Dong people from Huanggang Village, Liping County, in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, welcomed the han tian jie – or “shouting to the sky festival” – on June 15 according to the traditional Chinese calendar, which falls on August 1 this year.

With a history dating back around 800 years, Huanggang villagers have been passing down this custom since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is said that, after the area had suffered two years of drought, the village head walked for hundreds of kilometers to find Taoist master Wu Weimin to ask him to hold a ritual for his village and beg for rain. 

The master arrived at the stricken village and held prayers on June 15, which quickly brought rainfall and saved the arid place. To express their gratitude to Wu Weimin, locals set the date as the han tian jie festival to pray for good weather for crops