The Torch Festival is a traditional festival unique to the Yi people.
Every year on June 24 of the lunar calendar, in the famous aerospace city, "Moon City" Xichang, the Yi compatriots living there will put on their festive costumes, sing and dance, organize powerful beauty contests and dress, horse racing, wrestling, archery competitions, and light torches at night to parade through the wilderness to commemorate the heroes in their hearts. to commemorate the heroes of their hearts. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, it has been practiced for more than a thousand years. The Torch Festival is usually held on the 24th day of the lunar calendar every year and lasts for three days.
Every year on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month, it is the traditional festival of the Yi people in China, the Torch Festival. According to the customs of the Yi people, bullfighting and wrestling and grand mass cultural and artistic celebrations are held on this day. At night, every family in front of the door erected a torch, the village also erected as high as three or four feet of large torches, for good luck. Village men, women and children holding torches shine all over the houses, animal pens, crops, roads, indicating the expulsion of demons and ghosts, snakes and pests, wishing for a good harvest.
Torch Festival Customs:
1, wrestling: wrestling activities in the Yi people are very prevalent, divided into two kinds of tripping and non-tripping to fall for the loss; different villages to select the strongest and most capable of wrestling competitions, the winner in addition to prizes awarded to their own villages, but also another wine, goats, cows and other food to celebrate and encourage.
2, beauty contest: the Yi people have loved and pursued beauty for generations, and the "beauty contest" has been the most important and characteristic activity of the traditional torch festival of the Yi people since ancient times.
3, bonfire party: the night hangs low, people eat barbecued meat, and then pine branches to light the flame, holding a torch around a circle, praying for the elimination of pests and diseases, and praying for a good harvest for years to come. Enthusiastic crowd, the torch into a pile of bonfires, thousands of Yi children jumped up "big three string" dance.