People of the Miao ethnic group in Jiaobang village of Jianhe county, Guizhou province, celebrated a traditional festival known as taigoujie on Sept 2.

Literally translated as "lifting dog festival", taigoujie is a traditional celebration of the Miao people in Guizhou. They dress a dog in beautiful ethnic costume and lift a dog with special wooden bench to show their gratitude for the dogs who were believed to find water for their ancestors.

Miao people lift the dog with special wooden bench in Jiaobang village, Guizhou province, on Sept 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

People sing ancient Miao songs and dance in the water to celebrate the special festival. Men carry the dog and marched along the village under the elder's guidance, while women splash water over the parade as a blessing to wash away sickness and the misfortunes of the past year.

A dog is dressed in beautiful traditional Miao costume in Jiaobang village on Sept 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The traditional custom also embraces local people's prayers for ample rain and a fruitful harvest. In 2015, taigoujie was selected as an intangible cultural heritage item in the province.

During the festival, the village attracted about 11,000 visitors, boosting local tourism dramatically.