Miao people are fond of azure blue attire and luxurious silver ornaments. On carnivals or festivals, Miao women usually attend in full dress, wearing head ornaments weighing several kilograms. In the past hundreds of years, Miao people seldom have intermarriage with non-Miao nationalities so the Miao traditions are well preserved among them without being influenced by the outside world. The most characteristic instrument of the Miao nationality is the reed-pipe, which is made of several bamboo tubes of different lengths. When the bamboo tubes are tied together and filled with reeds, beautiful music can be played on the reed-pipe. Miao people hold the "Reed-pipe Carnival", often attended by thousands of people, on big traditional occasions, where songs and dances are performed by Miao people. Miao people have very distinctive national features.
