What are the traditions of Liangshan Yi people?

Torch Festival is an ancient and important traditional festival for Yi, Bai, Naxi, Jinuo and Lahu nationalities. It has a profound connotation of folk culture and enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad, and is called "Carnival of the East". Different ethnic groups hold Torch Festivals at different times, mostly on June 24th of the lunar calendar. The main activities are bullfighting, goat shooting, cockfighting, horse racing, wrestling, song and dance performances, beauty contests and so on. In the new era, the Torch Festival has been endowed with new folk functions and produced new forms.

Torch festival nation

Torch Festival is a traditional festival of Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lahu, Hani and Pumi. Yi, Naxi and Jinuo nationalities are on June 24th, Bai on June 25th and Lahu on June 20th. This festival lasts for two or three days.

Legend of torch festival

A long time ago, there was a Hercules named Sliabi in the sky, and there was a Hercules named Attila on the ground. Both of them are capable of pulling out mountains. One day, Sri Abi was going to wrestle with Attila, and Attila had something urgent to go out. When he left, he asked his mother to entertain Sri Abi with a plate of discus. Sribi thought that since Attila lived on the discus, he must have great strength, so he left soon. After Atila Ba came back, she heard from her mother that Sri Abi had just left, so she ran after him and tried to wrestle with him. As a result, Sri Abi was killed When God Entiguez knew this, he flew into a rage and sent a large number of locusts and moths to eat the crops on the ground. On the night of June 24th in the lunar calendar, Attila cut down many branches of pine trees and wild Artemisia, tied them into torches, led people to light torches and burn insects in the fields. Since then, the Yi people have designated this day as the Torch Festival.

-Legend of Liangshan Yi Torch Festival

King Shamet fought against aliens and his head was cut off. When the star appeared, the other head began to fight with him. Finally, because of the traitor's betrayal, after cutting off his head with a sharp knife and sweeping his neck, King Samui's head could no longer grow and could not be resurrected. It is said that the red dot on the sharp knife grass is dyed red by the blood of King Samui. Later, on June 24th and 25th every year, Samui people would light torches to commemorate King Samui and look for his spirit.

Torch Festival is the biggest traditional festival of Yi people in Liangshan, Sichuan. At that time, every family drank, ate tuotuo meat and killed animals to worship their ancestors. People put on new clothes and carry out cultural and sports activities with national characteristics. Men take part in bullfighting, herding sheep, raising chickens, horse racing and wrestling. Women sing, play strings and play Qin Yue. Swim the flashlight around the house at night; On the third night, they traveled around Shan Ye in groups with torches, and then they gathered in one place to light bonfires, burn torches, drink, sing and dance until the end of the morning.