Yi people celebrate "black face festival"

Two women from the Yi ethnic group plaster black ashes on each other's face during the "black face festival" in Qiubei County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on August 15, 2009. The festival is a traditional activity in Qiubei where ancient Yi people used to blacken their faces to expel monsters and kill evils. [Xinhua]

People plaster black ashes on each other's face during the "black face festival" in Qiubei County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on August 15, 2009. [Xinhua]

Visitors and local residents celebrate the "black face festival" in Qiubei County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on August 15, 2009. [Xinhua]

Two women from the Yi ethnic group plaster black ashes on each other's face during the "black face festival" in Qiubei County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on August 15, 2009. [Xinhua]