From May 1st to 5th, the 20th Menglian Nayun Holy Fish Festival will be held in Menglian Dai, Lahu, and Wa Autonomous County, Pu’er City, Yunnan Province, showcasing the spectacular scene of tens of thousands of people wading into the river to catch fish.
During the festival, there are a variety of exciting activities, the most anticipated of which is the “Ten Thousand People Catching the Holy Fish” event held on May 3rd at noon, from the Nayun Bridge to the Rubber Dam section of the Nanlei River. Villagers of all ethnicities and tourists roll up their pants, wade into the water, and catch fish with their bare hands, creating a scene of splashing water and laughter, competing to catch the “Holy Fish King.”
From May 1st to 3rd, local non-heritage cockfighting cultural exhibitions and competitions and elite invitational sepak takraw tournaments will be held, blending traditional customs with modern sports. Cultural evening shows, ethnic singing festivals celebrating the occasion, children’s dance performances, and a thousand-person bonfire dance night will mix ethnic charm with trendy music, creating a passionate, lively, joyful, and harmonious feast. On the evening of May 3rd, Menglian will host a Holy Fish Street Banquet, with hundreds of meters of tables, offering holy fish delicacies alongside Dai, Lahu, and Wa ethnic foods, allowing visitors to savor the local flavor amidst the bustling atmosphere. In addition, more than ten activities, including a thousand-lantern festival, releasing water lanterns on the Nanlei River, the Holy Fish story water curtain light show, and the Holy Fish market, will take place throughout the holiday, allowing every visitor to feel the warmth and romance of Menglian.
the origin of the “Holy Fish Festival”
In ancient times, the Grain God hid inside a golden carp due to human laziness, causing crop failure. The Fish King, the golden carp, was willing to sacrifice itself to be eaten by humans to save the people, eventually moving the Grain God to return to the human world and granting fish extraordinary reproductive abilities, allowing humans to enjoy abundant catches forever. Since then, “catching fish, cooking fish, and inviting the Grain God” has become the most grand custom in Menglian, lasting for a thousand years. This is the origin of the “Holy Fish Festival.”