On June 24th of the lunar calendar, bucket handle, the Big Dipper, pointed out that all ethnic groups in the Yi language branch should celebrate the Torch Festival. Some scholars believe that this festival was originally an annual festival in the October calendar of the Yi people, and it was also called the Torch Festival in Chinese Valentine's Day. There is a saying that "the New Year's Eve stars return to the sky", which is equivalent to the Chinese New Year in the Yi calendar. Therefore, it is also called China New Year. In folklore, June 24th is the day of the hero Rabbah and his wife Zhang Ni A Zhi, who led the Yi people in their struggle against the cruel god Entiguchi. Therefore, in order to commemorate this day, the Yi people will strike a flint to light the flame and go down to the fields in the traditional way on June 24 of the lunar calendar every year, in order 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 Laba, a black man, and the cleverness and beauty of Zhang Ni A Zhi. Over time, the annual Torch Festival of the Yi people was formed.
Although there are different opinions about the origin of Torch Festival, its origin is most directly related to the worship of fire, and its purpose is to drive away insects and protect crops with fire. Torch Festival is called "Du Ze" in Liangshan Yi language, which means "offering 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, in short, is the ancient fire worship. Fire is a symbol of the Yi people's pursuit of light. In the Yi area, the worship and sacrifice of fire are very common. On June 24th, the first day of the first month, a housewife chose the fattest piece of meat and threw it into a burning fireplace, praying for Vulcan's blessing. In Yongren County, Yi people worship fire on the second or third day of the first month, which is called "Vulcan Meeting". Liangshan Yi people regard the fire pit as a sacred place where Vulcan lives, and it is forbidden to touch and cross it.
The main activity of Torch Festival is in the evening. People either light torches to pray for the New Year, remove filth and seek good luck, or light bonfires and hold grand song and dance entertainment activities. During the festival, there are horse racing, bullfighting, archery, wrestling, tug-of-war, swinging and other recreational activities, and commodity fairs are held.
Torch Festival generally lasts for three days and nights. The first day is "fasting", which means welcoming fire. The second day of Torch Festival is "Du Ge", which means to praise and eulogize fire. On the third day of Torch Festival, Yi people call it "Doha" or "Dusha", which means to send fire.
Du Ge is the climax of the Torch Festival. At dawn, men, women and children put on holiday costumes, bring cooked meat and buckwheat buns, and gather under the sacred fire of the altar to participate in various traditional festival activities. Thousands of people get together to organize horse racing, wrestling, singing, beauty contests, pole climbing, shooting, bullfighting, sheep beating, chicken fighting and other activities. The girls in beautiful clothes danced "Doloho". On this day, the most important activity is the beauty contest of Yi family. Older people should choose beautiful men according to the legendary hard-working, brave and handsome Laba image. Choose a beautiful woman who is kind, smart, beautiful and generous like Zhang Ni A Zhi. In the evening, thousands of torches form a string of fire dragons, which flock to the same place from all directions, and finally form countless bonfires, burning red space. People sang and danced around the bonfire until late at night, and the scene was grand and jubilant, so it was called "Oriental Carnival". When the bonfire was about to go out, couples of young men and women quietly walked into the hillside and the bushes. Under the yellow oil umbrella, they played Qin Yue and played the strings, telling each other about the suffering of lovesickness. Therefore, some people call the Yi Torch Festival "Valentine's Day in the East".
Traditional wrestling, bullfighting, horse racing and other activities will be held during the Torch Festival. These activities originated from the legend that the hero Rabbah defeated the demon king (or god). Heroes fight with demons, teach people to light torches and kill locusts transformed by evil spirits, thus protecting villages and crops. In order to commemorate this event, the annual Torch Festival will symbolically repeat this legendary story and gradually become the main content of festival activities.
Among the traditional festivals of ethnic minorities in China, the Torch Festival of Yi nationality is one of the most attractive festivals, enjoying the reputation of "the first festival of ethnic customs in China" and "Oriental Carnival Night".