The Origin of Liangshan Yi Torch Festival

There are several legends about the origin of the Torch Festival:

The First Legend

Legend has it that a long, long time ago, the gods and goddesses in the sky were jealous of the happy life on earth, and sowed uncountable locusts on the ground. They gnawed at the crops. However, the brave Yi family did not succumb to the heavenly gods. Led by the hero Atilapa, they came up with a way to destroy the locusts with fire. People lit up torches and went to the fields day and night to catch and burn the pests. After a few days of hard fighting, people finally eliminated the "sky bugs", in order to commemorate the torch to eliminate the "sky bugs" victory, to celebrate the harvest, every year on the 24th day of June in the lunar calendar, people will light up the torch parade, and hold a variety of commemorative activities. The second day of the festival is to celebrate the victory of eliminating the "heavenly bugs" with torches.

Second legend

Shu Lun wrote and repaired "Xichang County Records": ...... Tang Kaiyuan, Deng Gengzhao, one of the six edicts. Southern Zhao wants to and five edicts, because the star back to the festival called the five edicts to drink in the Songming building. Deng Geng wife charity, fear difficult to stop the husband do not line, do not listen, is to iron bracelet about husband, back and leave. Than to Nanzhao, fire its building, the edicts to find the husband's remains unrecognizable, only charity to bracelet will be his remains to return. Nanzhao is different from his favor, to hire the coin, good to husband not buried as a resignation, both buried is in the cherry city of self-defense. Nanzhao to soldiers surrounded by, March food, good full dress end sitting hungry to die, Nanzhao seek regret, flagging its city said Deyuan. Today, Dian custom June 24, than the House of Pine. The prairie is more than ten feet long, into the night to burn first, used to illuminate the field to pray for the year, to torch the brightness of the dark divination of the abundance and failure. Relatives and friends will get together, chopping animals and drinking wine, Yi Han with the ....... As the Xichang County Records. Literature and Art" (Jianchang Zhuzhi) contained: go to the banquet prophet to go not return, Chai Lou smoke cold is still sad, and now the fire tree along the custom, bear to make the heart of the ice into ash; Wisdom early to go hard to go back to the gift of the gold cup hidden since the sad. The people of the past are still shining bright festival, swallowed six edicts have become ash.

The Third Legend

A long time ago, there is a Hercules in the sky called Sjak Abi, there is a Hercules on the ground called Athilaba, both of them have the strength to pull the mountain. One day, Sjak Abi wanted to wrestle with Atiraba, but Atiraba had to go out in a hurry, and when he was leaving, he asked his mother to treat Sjak Abi with a plate of discus. Thinking that Ati Rabah must be very strong since he had the discus for his meal, Sjak Abi hurried away. When Atiraba returned, he heard from his mother that Sjarabi had just left, so he chased after him to have a wrestling match with him, which resulted in Sjarabi being thrown to his death. Knowing this, the sky god Entiguz was furious and sent hordes of locusts and borers to eat the crops on the ground. A body Raba will be in the old calendar June 24 that night, cut to many pine branches, wild artemisia branches tied into torches, led the people lit up, to the field to burn insects. Since then, the Yi people have designated this day as the Torch Festival. --The Legend of the Torch Festival of the Liangshan Yi People