LONGJIA, China: Girls with large headpieces made from the hair of their ancestors and wearing intricately patterned dresses danced in isolated villages in southwest China to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Against a stunning mountain backdrop, dozens of girls and women of the Long Horn Miao ethnicity performed for the annual flower festival or ‘Tiaohuajie’, held in Guizhou province on Thursday.
Onlookers watched — smartphones in hand — as the women swirled across a meadow, wearing dresses and jackets embroidered with pink roses and geometric patterns.
But it was the towering black headdresses of the dancers that really stood out — made from wool, string and the hair of their ancestors, and wrapped around animal horns with white fabric.
“It’s really special to be at the center of attention like this. I feel quite proud,” said Yang Yunzheng, 16.
“We organize this festival once a year when we wear these headpieces. That doesn’t change with modernization.”
The Miao ethnic minority is made up of some nine million people, mostly found in China’s southwest. Of those, around 5,000 “Long Horn Miao” live in just a dozen isolated villages in Guizhou.
Their headpieces are passed down through generations and worn on a number of occasions to honor their ancestors and preserve their traditions.
The festival is held on the 10th day of the Lunar New Year.
Girls sport their ancestors’ hair for Lunar New year in China
Girls sport their ancestors’ hair for Lunar New year in China
- The headpieces are inherited and used in a number of occasions
- They are made from wool, string and the of ancestors, all wrapped around animals horns using white fabric
Harry Styles announces first album in 4 years, ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’
- It follows the critically acclaimed synth pop “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards
- “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon
NEW YORK: In this world, it’s just him: Harry Styles has announced that his long-awaited, fourth studio album will arrive this spring.
Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” and out March 6, the album is Styles’ first full-length project in four years. It follows the 2022, critically acclaimed synth pop record “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star the top prize of album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
In a review, The Associated Press celebrated “Harry’s House” for showcasing “a breadth of style that matches the album’s emotional range.”
On Instagram, Styles’ shared the cover artwork for “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which features the 31-year-old artist in a T-shirt and jeans at night, standing underneath a shimmering disco ball hung outside.
According to a press release, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon. The British songwriter and producer has been a close collaborator of Styles’ since the beginning of his solo career, working on all of his albums since the singer’s 2017 self-titled debut.
“Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” is now available for preorder.
It is also Styles’ first project since his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne died in 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
