在中国的众多少数民族之中，苗族真可说是最多姿多彩的民族。苗族的支系庞杂繁多，广泛分布在西南各省区；其中有百分之六十居住在贵州，成为贵州省人数最多的少数民族。
     贵州的苗族主要聚居在苗岭山区和清水江流域。特别使旅游者注目的是黔东南苗族侗族自治州境内的东系苗族，无论是服饰的绚丽多彩还是风俗的奇丽独特，在苗族大系中都显得分外突出。要探讨苗族的奇异风俗，就一定要到黔东南来。

    苗族的族源十分古老，其根源可追溯到四千多年前的黄帝战蚩尤的传说时代。

     苗族一般都居住在山上，或依山傍水而居，住房多是杆栏式木楼，俗称吊脚楼，大的寨子过千户以上，远远看去，吊脚楼重叠交错，非常壮观。
    来到苗寨，最引人注目的是苗族妇女那艳丽夺目的服饰。苗族是擅于织绣的民族，族人保持着古老地纺织、染布、刺绣等精湛工艺。苗绣被公认是最精美的刺绣艺术品，绣品的构思奇巧，形象丰富，富有个性，这些艺术品随时在她们的服装上展示出来 。黔东南苗族又以华丽复杂的银制饰品而称绝于世。节日时，盛装打扮的少女所戴的银饰往往重达十多斤，那些角冠簪梳、耳坠吊环、项圈手镯……熠熠生辉，她们走起路来也会发出叮叮铃铃的悦耳响声。难怪有人说，苗家姑娘是苗乡最美丽的一道风景线。
    苗族又是个能歌善舞的民族。苗族虽然没有自己的文字，但是口头文学非常丰富，歌是口头文学的主要体裁，又是感情表达的最浪漫形式。记述历史的苗族古歌雄浑壮烈，苗族飞歌嘹亮悠远，情歌幽婉缠绵，酒歌热情洋溢……苗族的舞蹈以芦笙舞和木鼓舞最为独特，男女都能闻鼓笙而起舞，或轻缓优雅，或激烈狂悍，舞蹈语汇极为丰富。

    节日是苗族风情展现得最精彩淋漓的时刻。黔东南苗族有名堂的节日有一百多种，春节、过苗年、吃姊妹饭节、吃牯藏、爬坡节、三月三、四月八、六月六、芦笙节、龙船节……数不胜数，一些节日又往往“节中有节”，或者不同地方同过一个节，节庆活动此伏彼起，“大节三六九，小节天天有”的说法一点也不过份。就拿春节来说吧，一般过了正月初三，各村寨就陆续掀起芦笙会的热潮，今天这个寨子结束，明天另一个寨子又开始了，一个接一个象走马灯似的，仿佛没完没了。
    有些节日并非年年进行，例如“吃牯藏”十三年才过一次，对于连苗家未经历过的新一代人也觉得分外神秘。
     热衷于追寻这些节日的人，如果想每一个节庆都去陶醉一番，那可不知要多少年才能圆满轮一遍呢。

    芦笙会时，附近市县方圆几十公里的人都来赴会，一时间人山人海，笙声如潮。 人们围成一个个圆圈跳芦笙，小伙子在圈内捧着长长短短的芦笙边吹边跳，姑娘们踏着笙歌的节奏翩翩起舞。
     芦笙节不但是庆丰年祝福的节日，也是男女青年择偶的节日，到了二十一日，公众的狂欢便一转而成为男女青年“游方”的活动，双双对对的情侣用对歌来传情说爱，缠缠绵绵地给芦笙会留下来年再会的盟约。  
    谷陇芦笙节是在农历九月二十七至二十九这三天举行，节日的活动与舟溪的相差不远，那千把芦笙齐奏的场面非常壮观。  

    苗族的许多节日总是和男女谈情说爱有或少的关系。台江一带的姊妹饭节（又叫姊妹节）更是典型的“情人节”，充满温馨浪漫的色彩。
    每逢农历三月十五（一些村寨为二月十五日），台江的苗寨家家户户都准备好五颜六色的姊妹饭，欢天喜地地过姊妹饭节。十五十六连续两天，除了聚餐吃姊妹饭外，还要进行吹笙踩鼓、斗牛赛马等活动。不过，在大众狂欢之后的男女青年游方才是这节日的精髓。
    既是姊妹饭节，最欢喜的当然是姊妹们，在这节日里妇女有特殊的地位，她们受到人的宠待。尤其是未嫁的姑娘，家里人要为她备好酒肉和姊妹饭，供她款待情人和朋友。如果有外寨的后生们来作客，会得到姑娘们的热情招待。

    姊妹饭有如无字的情书，撮合了无数美好的姻缘。

    农历五月初五，汉族有过端午节进行龙舟竞渡的习俗。清水江畔的苗族人在五月廿日至廿七这些天过的是龙船节，苗语叫“翁”，意为划龙船，或叫“娄翁”，意即叫龙肉。早在五月十八九日，人们就要把龙王爷船洗刷一新。苗族的龙船很特别，船体很长，分母船和两侧子船三部分，是用整条杉木掏空而成，被称为独木龙舟。
    每年龙船节都要吸引众多的中外游客前来，客人们在苗寨可尽情令略苗家风情，还可听老人讲述许多有关苗家划龙船由来的传说。

    黔地苗家最神秘的大节日恐怕要数“吃牯藏节”了。
    吃牯藏节是远古苗民祖先崇拜留传下来的一种古老的祭祖仪礼，也叫“吃牯藏”、“鼓社祭”、“翻鼓节”等名称。关于“吃牯藏”的由来，在苗族的创世歌——“苗族古歌”中有多个描述的唱本，民间传说也很多。苗族的古老信仰认为，用大牯牛的皮制成的大鼓，是祖先魂灵居住的地方，是一个血缘氏族的纽带和象征。所以，“吃牯藏”的节日核心便集中在以牛和鼓相联系的一系列宗教礼祭；斗牛、宰牛祭祖、用牛皮制鼓、祭鼓……节期则须经过占卜求卦来选定。
    吃牯藏节的节日圣物是祭祀用的牛皮大鼓，鼓身用整木镂空而成，两端蒙上牯牛皮。这种族人的神鼓有一对双鼓和一只单鼓，双鼓是祖传下来的，必须永久保存，平时放在久婚无子的人家中，据说供奉双鼓可使子孙繁衍不绝，所以求子者争相保存。单鼓是在祭祀时现做的，鼓祭结束后便送山间岩洞，任其腐朽。
    “吃牯藏”日的隆重祭礼相当复杂。人们首先恭恭敬敬地去存鼓处接双鼓，又到山上去拜祭已腐烂的单鼓。接着动人心魄的斗牛仪式开始了。

    The Miao is the second largest ethnic people in Southwest China and the largest in Guizhou, numbering 36 869 00 (1990's statistics). It makes up 11.28% of the province total population and 32.8% of the total minority people in the province. They live in the most of the regions of the province with the major concentrations in the southeast, southwest, northwest and the central areas of the province. Where the Miao came from still remains a puzzle. This uncertainty leads to numerous theories among Miao and Chinese scholars. There are definite references in Chinese documents to the Miao living in South Guizhou in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) periods.
    Linguistically the Miao belong to the Miao-Yao branch of the Sino-Tibetan family of language. The Miao speak their own language surely consisting of several dialects varying from place to place, which makes it even hard for them to understand those of other tribes. The written form was only compiled based on the Han Chinese Phonetic Symbols after liberation (1950 in Guizhou). This has, however, proved unsatisfactory due to the number of dialects that cannot be understood by other Miao groups in different parts of the province. Miao authorities recognize four major dialects: Western Hunan, Southeast Guizhou, Southeast Yunnan and Southwest Sichuan. Nowadays more and more young Miaos can speak Han Chinese (Mandarin). 
    Turbans, short jackets and black puttees are the Miao men's favorites, while Miao women in Chinese-style jackets and pleated skirts are famous for their novel hairstyles: buns on the top with turbans of different colors, hair bound over a frame on the top and capbill-like hair above the forehead shaped with vegetable oil. Girls do not only know how to beautify themselves but also how to print with wax, a traditional handicraft that remains the pride of the ethnic group. 
    The great number of pleats characterizes skirts of the Miao women. In many areas in Guizhou, Miao women wear skirts, which are as short as western miniskirts. While in some other areas, Miao women wear long skirts. No men wear skirts in China except those of the Long-Horn Miao. But this tradition seems to have undergone a change. Perhaps in a few years’ time, men of the Long-Horn Miao will not wear skirts any more except on festival occasions.
    Minority nationality villages possess distinctive architectural features. The Miao dwell in mountains and their villages are often seen sprawling up mountain slopes. The Diaojiaolou (also the Mao's Wooden House) is the typical building in Miao villages. Seated on wooden columns, a few meters above the ground, the Diaojiaolou looks like a house on stilts.
    Drinking and dancing are part of the Miao's life. The Miao have a liking for drinking to such an extent that all the households brew wine. When a guest arrives, he/she is asked to drink in turn with the host. They offer 12 roadblock drinks to honored guests with lusheng dance as a formal welcome ceremony. The Miao are a musical group. Whenever there is a party, there is singing and dancing. The male and female are all good at antiphonal singing. They sing to introduce each other, to welcome guests, to express affection for each other, to voice out inner emotions and feelings as well as to mourn the dead.
    Among the Miao's important festivals are the Miao's New Year, Si Yue Ba Minority Festival, the New-Rice-Tasting Festival, the Lusheng Gathering and the Dragon Boat Festival. The following Chapter offers a vivid description of these festivals.
    The daily dressing of the Miao differs greatly from one place to another. General speaking, the men wear their hair long and wrapped in a head-cover. They wear a collarless coat with large sleeves, while the trousers have wide legs. The waist is fastened with a belt and there are wrappings for winter wear. Meanwhile, the women keep their hair worn in a coil on the top, and they also wrap it in a scarf. Wearing accordion-pleated skirts, the women adorn themselves with wrist rings, earrings and neck hoops of silver. The Miao's festival costumes are exotically beautiful with delicate embroidery, silver ornaments or colorful batik patterns.
    The Guzhang (water buffalo offal) Fertility Festival is one of the grand festivals of the Miao nationality. It has two purposes: one is to commemorate the ancestors of the Miao nationality who had come here as pioneers from other places; and the other is to celebrate the harvests of the past years. It takes place every 13 years, most recently in March 1992 at Langde Village, Taijiang County, when modern influences mixed with age-old customs. Festivals continue for three to seven days. On the first day, the elected committee in charge of the festival climbs the mountains to search for the soul of the dragon, a symbol of good luck. The shaman guides the dragon soul into a duck, which is bought specifically for this purpose. In the evening, a pig is ceremonially killed and shared among all participants during a great celebratory feast. In times past, a water buffalo would be scarified, but now pigs are killed instead. Sharing the meat symbolizes sharing in the community and the preservation of old traditions that are linked with the good fortune, prosperity and fertility of the whole village. During the festival period, the villagers delight in eating, singing and dancing all day and all night. It is still celebrated in Leishan County, Taijiang County, Jianhe County as well as in some areas around Kaili city.
    New-Rice-Tasting Festival is the grand occasion of the Miao to enjoy newly ripe rice to welcome the coming harvest. It is practiced as well among the other minority nationalities. On this day, as soon as everyone in the village gather around, the village chief walks to the field, cuts three ears of rice and passes the to the local witch (shaman) for sacrificial rites. There is a belief in ancestors worship as well as a desire to give thanks for the virtues and power of the land spirit. Each family will enjoy a nice meal of new rice with fish and meat. During the festival, the villagers will hold a variety of activities, such as bullfighting, bird fighting, lusheng dance and antiphonal singing. 
    The Sisters Festival begins on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month, when unmarried women harvest rice from the terraced fields and gather together by the river to prepare it. The rice is cooked until it has a sticky consistency and is blue, pink, yellow, and white to represent spring, summer, fall and winter. The young women then place some of the rice in small bundles of cloth as young men arrive and begin to serenade them. Each young man singles out the woman he hopes to marry someday. Although he sings about his hunger and thirst, his real meaning is: "I love you, do you love me?"
    The young woman responds to his song by giving him a drink of rice wine and some rice wrapped in cloth. Her official reply is inside. If she has placed a hot pepper there, it's a flat refusal; one chopstick signals a more polite "no-thank-you" to his love. If he finds a leaf inside his bundle, he must first give her satin; and a piece of grass implies he must first supply her with a needle and thread before she will signal "love you too" with two chopsticks. For those who have already "exchange two chopsticks" at the river, the festival is also a time for married women to return to their parents' home. This is the only time that daughters see their parents and the one occasion that sisters sit down together all year. The rest of the days are spent with their husbands' families. Women arrive on foot laden with chickens, rice cakes and bolts of hand-woven cloth for their families. Their husbands remain at home.
    The Dragon Boat Festival is the most important celebration of the Miao people who live along the Qingshuijiang River in the southeast of Guizhou Province. Every year between 30000 and 40000 Miao participate in the festival. In the eyes of the Miao, the dragon is a good symbol. Girls like to adorn their hair with silver ornaments shaped like dragons and wear clothes embroidered or woven with dragon patterns. The Miaos make exquisite dragon boats. The dragon's body consists of three canoes -- one large and two small --that are bound together. The carved head, painted red, blue or yellow, is made from the trunk of a water willow tree. It is about two meters long and sports a pair of horns. The Miao Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated from the 24th to 27th of the fifth lunar month. But according to local customs, people are allowed to send their boats down the river after the 16th, provided that they have finished weeding their fields. The earlier appearance of the boats on the river is a testimony to the efficiency of the villagers. The diligent peasants consider it a shame not to finish weeding before the festival begins.