2025 Wa New Rice Festival to kick off during National Day holiday

People perform a folk dance during a press conference for the 2025 Wa New Rice Festival and a series of folk culture activities to be held in Ximeng Wa Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zunhui)

The 2025 Wa New Rice Festival, along with a series of folk cultural activities, will be held in Ximeng Wa Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province, during this year's National Day holiday, according to a press conference held on Aug. 29 in Kunming, the provincial capital.

The event will run from Oct. 1 to 6 in the county. Organizers have extended a warm invitation to visitors from across the country and abroad to join the celebrations, immerse themselves in authentic Wa customs, and experience the rich cultural heritage of the Wa people.

Traditionally, around the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, locals in Ximeng mark the grain harvest with rituals to pray for favorable weather, family well-being, and bountiful crops.