Villagers in SW China's Guizhou make Ciba for upcoming Spring Festival

Residents of Wenquan village make Ciba, a traditional Chinese snack made with glutinous rice, to greet the 2023 Chinese Lunar New Year. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

Villagers in Jianhe county, southwest China's Guizhou Province, are decorating their houses with festive lanterns, preparing meat, and making snacks for the 2023 Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival.

Cooking Ciba, a traditional Chinese snack made with glutinous rice, is one of the traditional folk activities of the Miao ethnic group during traditional festivals, including the Spring Festival.

Residents of Wenquan village in Jianhe county have been working together to make Ciba in recent days. First, they steam glutinous rice and grind sesame seeds into powder, then two people quickly pound the steamed glutinous rice into paste before it gets cold. After that, they stuff fillings, such as sesame powder or soybean powder, into a small portion of the rice paste, and finish making a Ciba by kneading the mixture into a ball.

"We make Ciba every year during holidays. It takes two people and the right amount of strength to pound the steamed glutinous rice to make tasty Ciba," said Wu Meiju, a woman of Miao ethnic group in Wenquan village.

Making Ciba can also be an enjoyable experience for family members. During the cooking process, young people pound rice, the elderly put the stuffing inside the paste, and children wait eagerly to take the first bite.

"We make Ciba every year during the Spring Festival. Since the round Ciba symbolizes family reunion, we always enjoy making Ciba together to pass down this tradition and the fun of Spring Festival," said Fan Daizhi, a woman from Wenquan village.

Besides her family, Fai also invited her neighbors to help make Ciba, she told People's Daily Online.