Introduction to Yi Torch Festival

The traditional festival of Yi, Bai, Naxi, Jinuo and Lahu ethnic groups. Yi, Naxi and Jinuo are held on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month, Bai on the 25th day of the 6th lunar month, and Lahu on the 20th day of the 6th lunar month, and the festival lasts for two or three days. Before the festival, each family prepares food, and in the festival, they gather together and sing songs. During the daytime, bullfighting, wrestling and other recreational activities are held; at night, torches are lit, and groups of people march in the village side of the ground, mountains and ridges. From a distance, the fire dragon reflecting the sky, winding and undulating, very moving. Finally, people gathered in the square, many torches piled up into a fire tower, flames burning, people gathered in a circle, singing and dancing, a joyful. June 24th of the lunar calendar, the Big Dipper handle on the finger, the Yi language branch of the ethnic groups are going to have a torch festival, torch festival is also known as the star back to the festival, commonly known as the star back to the sky and the eve. The star back in the sky and in addition to the evening? It is equivalent to the New Year of the Yi calendar. The main activities of the Torch Festival in the night, people or lighting torches to pray for the year, in addition to the filth for good luck, or burning bonfires, Xingxing grand 'song and dance entertainment activities. During the torch festival, but also held the traditional wrestling, bullfighting, horse racing and other activities. These activities, from a hero to defeat the demon king (or God) legend, the hero and the demon king wrestling, wrestling, but also teach people to light torches to kill the evil spirit of the locusts, to protect the village and crops. In order to commemorate this event, every year, the torch festival, we must symbolically repeat the story of the legend, and gradually become the main content of the festival activities.

The origin of the torch festival legend varies. One said that the sky god and the earth god struggle, people with torches to help the earth god to exterminate insects over the sky god. One said from the "Nanzhao wild history" and the teacher "Dian Department", the two books: Nanzhao chief Pi Luoguo attempted to annex the other five dao, will be five dao in the Songming building and burned to death, Deng fine dao wife charity advice husband do not go, the husband is not thus killed, charity closed the city to die, the Dian people is a torch on the day of the hanging. Shilin Yi Sani people regard the Torch Festival as a festival to commemorate the victory of the people and the struggle of the devil; Wuding Yi that the Torch Festival is to grow the ears of grain as thick as a torch. Later generations of this fire sacrifice to drive home the field of ghosts and evil, in order to protect human and animal peace. To the festival, the young men and women of all ethnic groups lit a torch made of pine wood, to the village field activities, while walking the pine incense to the torch, or rally, singing and dancing, or horse racing, bullfighting, wrestling. In recent times, people use the opportunity to gather and rejoice, socialize or lovers meet, and carry out trade and commerce activities in the festival. ;