Fresh Flowers Festival of Nu Ethnic Group

Introduction to the Fresh Flowers Festival of the Nu Nationality

Festival Time and Basic Customs

The Nu Nationality【Nu Nationality（怒族）】celebrates its grand traditional festival, the Fresh Flowers Festival【Fresh Flowers Festival（鲜花节）】, also known as the Fairy Festival【Fairy Festival（仙女节）】, on the 15th day of the third lunar month every year. This folk festival prevailing in Gongshan area has been included in local intangible cultural heritage protection lists, serving as an important carrier for inheriting Nu ethnic folklore and spiritual culture.

On the festival morning, local Nu people put on exquisite traditional festival costumes. They carry sacrificial offerings, pre-prepared picnic food and bunches of fresh flowers, and head for the limestone caves near villages. People hold a memorial ceremony to worship the legendary heroine Arong【Arong（阿荣仙女）】, who is revered as a fairy in the hearts of the Nu people. After the worship, villagers gather to share meals and take part in various recreational activities. Everyone feasts and drinks together, singing and dancing joyfully. The entire mountain valley is filled with a simple, solemn and festive ambiance.

Core Activity Venue

The sacrificial caves near Nu villages are the core venues of the Fresh Flowers Festival. These natural limestone caves have been used for ritual activities for generations, and have become a symbolic cultural space closely linked with the legend of Arong.

Legendary Origin of the Fresh Flowers Festival

Deeds of the Heroine Arong

The formation of the Fresh Flowers Festival derives from a widely spread ancient folk legend among the Nu people. Long ago, a hardworking, intelligent and beautiful young girl named Arong lived in a Nu village. She endured great hardships to carve through the Gaoligong Mountain【Gaoligong Mountain（高黎贡山）】and divert mountain spring water.

The flowing water irrigated the arid and barren mountain land. Thanks to her efforts, the rocky slopes on both sides turned into fertile farmland, and the desolate hills were covered with lush vegetation. Her deeds brought great changes and abundant harvests to the local villagers.

Tragic Experience and Festival Establishment

The cruel local headman envied and hated Arong for her contributions. Eventually, he burned her to death inside a cave in the Gaoligong Mountain. The tragedy happened exactly on the 15th day of the third lunar month. At that time, spring bloomed everywhere, and flowers flourished along the banks of the Nujiang River【Nujiang River（怒江）】.

To forever remember the kind and noble Arong, the Nu people designated this special day as the Fresh Flowers Festival. From generation to generation, they observe the festival with fresh flowers and rituals, expressing eternal respect and affection for the beloved heroine.

Supplementary Notes

1. Unified Annotation Rule: Standard English (Chinese) , annotated at the first occurrence of each proper noun.
2. Grammar Revisions Summary

• Revised preposition errors: At the morning → On the festival morning; fixed subject-verb disagreement, sentence fragmentation and collocation mistakes in the original text.
• Polished repetitive expressions and illogical sentence structures while retaining all original plot and details.

1. Intangible Cultural Heritage Supplement: Added the heritage attribute of the festival, explained the cultural value of traditional venues, and enriched the cultural background of the folk custom.