Preparation for the Drum Dance
Dating back several hundreds of years, the Sisters’ Meal Festival is held annually on the 15thday of the third lunar month by the Miao people in Guizhou, China. It originated as a way for single men and women from remote villages to come together, share a meal, and maybe meet their future mate. The festival consists of a parade of Miao villagers in elaborate ethnic costumes, an opening ceremony, and other activities like fish catching, bull fighting and the most popular being drum dancing.
Women wear elaborate costumes to gather together and perform at the drum dance. These costumes consist of intricately embroidered blouses, skirts and jackets that are adorned with silver embellishments. Silver jewelry, neck rings and dazzling head pieces complete the visually stunning costumes.
In April of 2019, I had the honor and opportunity to visit a Miao family, have lunch with them and get a firsthand behind the scenes look while two sisters prepared to participate in the drum dance. I immediately fell in love with the heartfelt happiness of their grandmother as she watched them getting ready. Under the careful guidance of their mother, changing into their costumes often required an extra set of hands. I set out to capture the happiness in their smiles and laughter. All in all, I was honored to digitally capture ancient traditions and customs being passed on, even with a modern touch of a selfie taken with a cell phone.
