Ox King Festival, a common day of Tujia and Miao ethnic minorities, normally takes place on April 8 and occasionally on April 18 under the lunar calendar.

Ox King Festival, a common festival of Tujia and Miao ethnic groups

According to the legend of the Tujia ethnic minority, when the defeated Tujia soldiers encountered a wide river, a buffalo helped soldiers reach the further bank by dragging them with its tail. Obliged to the buffalo, the Tujia ethnic group celebrates the day by allowing their oxen a day off and feed them concentrated fodders. They butcher pigs and sheep for feasts, process glutinous rice cakes and visit relatives on this lively festival.

The Tujia ethnic group of Dahe, Laifeng county, celebrates the Ox King Festival on April 8 each lunar year, feeding buffaloes eggs and wine, and inviting magicians to hold ceremonious offerings for the oxen.

The legend of Miao ethnic group tells another story. On April 8 in an immemorial year, an immortal ox stole seed-corns from Heaven to provide for the Miao ethnic group. To commemorate the event, the Miao people let oxen have a rest that day and feed them first quality fodders. They have also constructed a temple for the ox king and held a ceremonious sacrifice.

There is an Ox King Temple near Yecheng town in Jianshi county. Each year at the Ox King Festival, the Miao ethnic group in Laifeng offer food to enshrine and worship a paper model of an ox head in the village square.