Sticky rice symbolizes good luck in Jinggu

The rainbow glutinous rice is a traditional food favored by the Dai people in Banpo Township, Jinggu Dai and Yi Autonomous County, SW Yunnan’s Pu 'er City. In the Dai culture, the sticky rice symbolizes good luck and harvest.

So how do they make colorful glutinous rice?
The colorants are made from natural plants, such as spinach, dragon fruit, buddleja officinalis and more. Soaked with plant essences overnight, the rice is dyed into various colors. After being steamed, the rice is stained with the aroma of plants.
Source: Jinggu Digital Media Center; Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi