Munao Zongge Festival – The Jingpo People's Carnival

The Munaung Zhongge Festival originally served as a ritualistic ceremony to ward off evil and promote goodness, symbolizing blessings of prosperity and happiness while celebrating the bountiful harvest. Known as "Munaung" among the Jingpo people and "Zhongge" among the Wa, the name itself conveys the idea of everyone coming together to dance joyfully. Legend has it that only the children of the sun were once permitted to perform the Munaung Zhongge—until Ning Guanwa, the ancestral figure of the Jingpo tribe, brought this sacred dance down to earth. During the festival, Jingpo men and women don their finest traditional attire and gather from far and wide to immerse themselves in vibrant music and dance. At the heart of the festivities is the Munaung Zhongge dance, led by two highly respected elders called "Nao Shuang." Clad in stunning peacock-feather headdresses, these revered leaders set the rhythm with graceful yet powerful movements, waving shimmering silver swords as they guide the jubilant procession at the very front of the dancing crowd.