Explainer | Why China Miao ethnic group moves houses at night, dances with soot on faces upon completion
Age-old tradition stems from time when Miao people had to stage secret home relocations to avoid landlords seeking rent or debt repayments
China’s Miao ethnic group is marked out from others thanks to their observance of a unique tradition known as “moving house at night”.
The custom sees young men smear soot on their faces, dance, turn lights on and off and conclude the relocation by firing a hunting rifle before sunrise.
The tradition is long-standing in a Miao ethnic township in Xiangyun county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwestern China.
The Miao people, who primarily live in the mountainous regions of southern China, including Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan, have a population of around 11 million.
It is said that the ritual originated during the old society when Miao villagers, to avoid landlords demanding rent or repayment of debts, would secretly move houses in the middle of the night.