Ethnic customs of the 5th Yi Torch Festival in Qinglong County 20 15

The "Torch Festival" of the Yi people is a traditional festival in Yi areas, which is popular in Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan and other Yi areas, and is also celebrated by Bai, Naxi, Jinuo and Lahu ethnic groups. Torch Festival is usually held on June 24th or 25th of the lunar calendar and lasts for three days. On June 24th of the lunar calendar, the Big Dipper in bucket handle pointed out that all ethnic groups who speak Yi dialect should celebrate Torch Festival. Festival activities mainly include wrestling, bullfighting and horse racing. The "Torch Festival" on June 24th of the lunar calendar is a grand festival with ethnic characteristics of the Yi people, lasting for three days. In modern society, people take the opportunity of * * * to socialize or meet their lovers and conduct business activities on festivals.

At 8 o'clock on the evening of August 8 this year (that is, on June 24 of the lunar calendar), the square of Annan ancient city in Qinglong County was crowded and filled with festive atmosphere everywhere. 20 15 the fifth "torch festival" of yi people in Qinglong county was held here. Tourists from all over the country and more than ten thousand people from Qinglong gathered here to enjoy a "bonfire feast"!

Jiang Shikun, secretary of Qinglong County Party Committee, said in his speech at the party: Tonight, hardworking, kind and hospitable Yi compatriots will once again light auspicious torches, play emotional movements and dance happily to welcome friends and guests from afar. Let's hold high the torch of unity and hope, and let our feelings and dreams fly in the blazing bonfire and wandering dance. Afterwards, Kong Lung, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, announced the opening of the Torch Festival. Subsequently, Yi Dance "A-Mei Qituo" performed by students of Sambo School made a shocking debut. Originated from the productive labor of the Yi people, the unaccompanied but uniform dance steps surprised the audience, and the crisp and powerful dance steps resounded through the ancient city of Annan at night, bringing people extraordinary original ecological artistic enjoyment.

According to the ancient custom, every year from June 24th to June 26th in the lunar calendar, all villages of the Yi people hold grand sacrificial activities, killing pigs and cattle, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, worshipping ancestors and exorcising evil spirits, and praying for the prosperity of six animals and bumper harvests, which reflects the good wishes of the Yi people to respect the laws of nature and pursue a happy life. Six Mr Bimo held the most solemn and sacred ignition ceremony.

According to textual research, although there are different opinions about the origin of "Torch Festival", its origin is most directly related to people's natural worship of fire. Its purpose is to use fire to repel insects and protect crops. Torch Festival is called "Du Ze" in Yi language, which means "offering sacrifices to fire". In the two sacrificial songs "Sacrificing Vulcan" and "Sacrificing Pots and Sacrificing Stones", there are descriptions of the miracle of Vulcan Ayidiegu. The original form of "Torch Festival" is simply the ancient fire worship. Fire is a symbol of the Yi people's pursuit of light. There are different opinions about the classic legend of "Torch Festival". When it comes to the struggle between the gods and the land gods, people use torches to help the land gods destroy insects and defeat the gods. This theory comes from Nanzhao unofficial history and the Canon School of Normal School. These two books contain: Pirog, the leader of Nanzhao, tried to annex the other five imperial edicts, and the leaders of the five imperial edicts were burned to death in Songming Building. Deng Re's wife advised her husband not to go, so that her husband was not killed. Charity found her husband's body with shrewd wisdom and persistent love for her husband and buried it smoothly, so Yunnan people burned it with torches. The Sani people of the Yi nationality in Shilin regard "Torch Festival" as a festival to commemorate the victory of the people's struggle with the devil. The Yi people in Wuding believe that "Torch Festival" means that ears of grain will grow as thick as torches. Later generations used this as a sacrifice to drive away ghosts and evil spirits at home, so as to keep people and animals safe.

On the other hand, Liangshan is the largest inhabited area of Yi people, located between Sichuan Basin in China and southwest Sichuan. There are many legends about the origin of Torch Festival. Among them, the most influential, widespread and representative story is the story of the Yi hero defeating the gods and demons and uniting the people to fight evil and disaster.

According to legend, there were six suns and seven moons in the sky in ancient times. There is sun exposure during the day, strong light shines at night, the land is barren, demons are rampant, and everything in the world is facing extinction. At this moment, the Yi hero Zhige Along shot and killed five scorching suns and six bright moons, tamed the last surviving sun and the last moon, conquered the raging flood and eliminated all kinds of demons that harmed the world. From then on, the world was sunny and lush, and the Yi people began to live and work in peace and contentment, just like a paradise. However, Entiguchi, the god who rules everything in the world, was dissatisfied when he saw that the world was so prosperous, so he sent his son Heraclesrea to the world every year to collect exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous fees. Wherever the heavenly soldiers go, they burn, kill and plunder, and do all kinds of evil. The beautiful human world has been turned upside down by ghosts and gods, and people are living in dire straits and suffering. Later, in the hometown of Zhige Along, a Yi hero named Blackbody Laba appeared. He is strong, intelligent and fearless. He rides a fine horse and can walk thousands of miles every day. He can fly over cliffs and walls with his feet. He often solves problems for various tribes and eliminates violence, which is very popular among the people. One day, Laba went hunting in the mountains, standing on the top of a high mountain, intoxicated by the beautiful scenery. He couldn't help singing, expressing his love for nature and his desire for hairdressing life. The sonorous singing attracted the melodious and euphemistic singing of Zhang Ni A Zhi, a shepherd girl on another mountain. They sang love songs and crossed mountains and rivers until dark. From then on, they loved each other and swore to each other.

Heracles Hot Abby, who has been coveted by Zhang Ni A Zhi for a long time, heard about their affair. Her heart was mixed with resentment and jealousy, and she always wanted to find a chance to kill Rabbah. Not long after, Slaby, who couldn't bear to be jealous, challenged Rabbah and wrestled with him. As a result, Rabba, a folk hero of Yi nationality, fell to his death in the wrestling duel. The gods were furious. They released an overwhelming number of insects (locusts) to destroy the mature crops on the earth.

Zhang Ni A Zhi, a clever man, climbed the mountains and found a venerable Bimo (priest) on the horizon. Bimo leafed through the gobbledygook and told Zhang Ni A Zhi: We should use torches to exterminate locusts. Zhang Ni, A Zhi and Blackbody Rabbah led the people up the mountain to tie the Artemisia pole torch, tied the torch for three days and three nights, burned the torch for three days and three nights, and finally burned all the bugs, and the crops were saved. Seeing this, the hateful Tiguzi flew into a rage. Use magic to turn the overworked blackbody Laba into a mountain. Zhang Ni A Zhi looked at all this and was heartbroken. In Bimo's prayer, she gave herself up and turned into a beautiful Miluo flower in the mountains and turned into a black Laba. This day happens to be June 24 of the lunar calendar.

From then on, in order to commemorate this day, the Yi people will strike a flint to light the flame in the traditional way on June 24 of the lunar calendar, and go to the fields to pray for good weather and good harvests in the coming year. People are singing and dancing, celebrating the victory of disaster relief, praising the courage of Rabbah in Black and the cleverness and beauty of A Zhi in Zhang Ni. Over time, the annual "Torch Festival" of the Yi people was formed. The "Torch Festival" of the Yi people generally lasts for three days and nights, and is divided into three stages: welcoming fire, playing with fire and sending fire. (Author: meteor across the night sky)