Long-Horn Hmong (Long-Horn Miao) New Year Ceremony: Raising the Ncej Ntxheb Pole in Guizhou, China

The Long-Horn Hmong of Guizhou Province, China, celebrate their annual New Year festival by wearing exquisitely embroidered traditional costumes, playing the qeej (reed pipe) and other traditional musical instruments, and carrying a freshly cut tree around the circular ceremonial stage three times before erecting it at the center of the stage as the Ncej Ntxheb (Male Pole). This sacred ceremony honors their ancestors, especially Chi You, while symbolizing unity, prosperity, cultural continuity, and Hmong identity.