Around Wudalianchi's lakes and volcanic hills, mineral springs have become places of gathering as well as natural features. The North and South Springs, Yaoquan Mountain and Yaoquan River form the central setting of Yaquan Hui, also called the Sacred Water Festival. Its place in the calendar is Duanwu, the Dragon Boat Festival, in the fifth month of the lunar year.
From the journal
Wudalianchi’s Springs and the Sacred Water Festival
Around Duanwu, Wudalianchi’s springs become the setting for offerings, midnight water collection, music and lantern gatherings—a festival shared by several local communities.
In the same city · Heihe ↗Water within a volcanic landscape
A festival around the springs
The national intangible-heritage account describes a sequence extending across several days. People gather at an ovoo, an offering cairn, on the morning of the fourth day, then sing and dance around an evening fire. Near midnight, participants collect water from the springs. The following day brings early walks, willow and mugwort gathering, folk performances and a lantern gathering by the lake. Daur, Oroqen, Mongolian, Manchu and Han communities all figure in the festival's local history.
Belief, season and shared space
Prayers for wellbeing run through these customs, from collecting water to symbolic cleansing and temple gatherings. They belong to the festival's folk beliefs. In 2011, the Wudalianchi tradition entered the national intangible-heritage list as a local extension of Duanwu customs. The springs give the celebration a distinctive geography: a seasonal meeting moves between water sources, mountain, river and lakeside.