Torch Festival

The Torch Festival, or Fire Festival, is one of the most important holidays of the Yi people of Yunnan Province. It is also celebrated by other ethnic groups of the region, such as the Bai, Naxi, Jinuo and Lahu. The Torch Festival is celebrated on the 24th or 25th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, or August in the Gregorian calendar.

The occasion is a grand celebration commemorating the life and deeds of Atilabia, the wrestler of legend who drove away a devastating plague of locusts using torches made from pine trees. In a broader sense, the festival is a celebration and affirmation of the ancient cultural heritage of the Yi people, featuring its traditional music, dance, poetry, food, costume, farming, astronomy and religious rituals. The festival also serves as a vehicle for strengthening ties among ethnic groups and promoting social harmony.

During the Torch Festival every family lights a torch to bring light into the corners of the household and out into the fields among the crops. Some villagers march in torch parades to drive away bad luck and to pray for a good harvest. Giant torches made of tied dry pine and lightwood are erected in the villages. Smaller torches are placed in front of the door of each household. The torches are lit at nightfall, making the villages seem almost as bright as during the day. People walk around the fields and houses carrying torches, and place torches at the corners of the fields.

In the villages people play musical instruments such as yusheng, yueqin and sanxian, while young men and women sing and dance around big torches that burn through the night. Among the many activities that take place during the festival are horse races, bullfights, archery, wrestling and tugs-of-war.

To showcase the many facets of Yi culture, there are four categories of events at the festival: sacred rituals; literature, art and sports; social intercourse; and trade. Visiting the Torch Festival is a perfect way to absorb centuries of culture of the Yi people in a single day, a profoundly rewarding experience you will never forget.