Elderly Miao people play lusheng, a traditional wind instrument made of bamboo and wood, in Xijiang Qianhu Miao village.

The rite is complicated and consists of a series of great ceremonies. These include the zhaolong (inviting the dragon), xinggu (awakening the drum), yinggu (welcoming the drum), shenniu (examining the cattle), and the white drum ritual, which is a significant sacrifice that officially ends the festival.

The festival lasts 13 to 15 days in different villages. On the first few days of the festival, the Miao sing, dance, and hold numerous feasts to welcome friends and visitors from far away. They have meat and bean curd, but they are not allowed to eat vegetables.

On the fifth day of the Guzang festival, sacred bulls are led around the village, with firecrackers exploding all around. The bulls are adorned with colorful decorations.

An ethnically Miao woman in Taoyao Miao village in Leishan county, Guizhou province, carries special purchases she'll give her relatives for Guzang Festival, the grandest Miao celebration.

The bulls are slaughtered just before dawn the next day. Their heads are put together facing east, which suggests the ancestors of the Miao come from east China. A ceremony is then held to release souls of these bulls from purgatory. At last people sing old sacrificial songs together.

After the ceremony, the meat of bulls is divided and distributed for people to hold feasts at home.