What are the customs of the Bai Torch Festival?

Torch Festival is a traditional festival of Bai people. On that day, men, women and children gathered to worship their ancestors. Through activities such as torch worship, lighting, lighting torches and jumping torches, I wish crops a bumper harvest and six animals a prosperous life. Festivals are prepared during the day and start after sunset.

The main contents are as follows:

(1) vertical torch

On the eve of the festival, the whole village erected a big fire about 10 to 20 meters high. The torch is made of pine trees cut from the mountain. The expenses are borne by the family that gave birth to the child that year. Use pine trees as poles, tie the straw and pine branches together, and put a flag at the top. The flagpole is a bucket made of a bamboo pole and three paper sticks in series, which means "rising three levels in a row". There is a small paper flag around each bucket, with calligraphy and painting on it, such as peace and prosperity for the country and the people, good weather, rich life, abundant crops and prosperous six animals. There are torches, pears, begonia, fireworks, lights and colorful flags hanging under the bucket.

At noon on Torch Festival, people take small torches, paper money, incense sticks and offerings to the ancestral graves to pay homage. After the small torch is lit, sprinkle three pieces of rosin to smoke the tomb, and go home after the torch burns behind the pillar. If the cemetery is far from home, sacrifice at home.

Before the sun goes down, families finish their dinner in advance and help the old and the young to go out to watch the torch and horse racing. There are adults and children racing horses. Run three times around the torch, and you can fly into the distance. If you don't race horses, go door to door to appreciate the torches in front of each house and see whose torches are exquisite and beautiful. Before the fire in the whole village was lit, young daughters-in-law walked around the torch three times with umbrellas and their newborn babies on their backs to show that they were blessed by evil spirits.

(2) Ignition handle

As night fell, the old people in the village took the lead in offering sacrifices and kowtowed to the torches. Several brave and vigorous boys climbed the big fire one by one, and uploaded small torches to light the big fire one by one. When we stopped at the station, the fire was flying, drums were beating loudly, firecrackers were ringing, and the scene was spectacular. When the bamboo pole hanging the bucket on the torch was burnt out, people scrambled to grab the bucket flying in the air. The wedding snatcher is regarded as a blessed person, congratulated by everyone, and squeezed into the home. The host entertains everyone with cigarettes, wine and tea. Next year, the fire will lift the bucket to the floor, and the person who can grab the bucket will prepare it.

(3) Carnival

The climax of Torch Festival is playing with the torch. Young men and women each hold a torch. When I saw someone, I grabbed a handful of rosin powder from my bag and sprinkled it on the torch. Every time you sprinkle a handful, it will give off a dazzling fire, give off a bang, and the flame will burn to the other side. This is called "cheers". Bai people think that fire refers to bad luck that can be burned, so they compete to play and enjoy themselves. After the excitement, young people will rush to the field with small torches, sprinkle rosin powder on the torches and shine wheat ears on the grains, which means eliminating pests and diseases and ensuring a bumper harvest. In the industrial age, chemical fiber fabrics became popular. Chemical fiber fabrics are not heat-resistant, and it is very miserable to meet the torch festival.

(4) Conclusion

After the Torch Festival, everyone said goodbye to each other and dispersed separately. At the same time, pick up charcoal under the burnt-out torch and put it outside to ward off evil spirits.

reference data

Baidu Encyclopedia:/item/%E7% 99% BD% E6% 97% 8F% E7% 81%AB% E6% 8A% 8A% E8% 8A% 82/1087642? Fr = Aladdin