Fire Festival---The Torch Festival of Sani People

On 24th June of lunar calendar, it is the traditional torch festival of Yi people. Dining, wrestling, bullfighting, dance or song, all of which add to the fun of ceremony. At night, thousands of torches symbolizing as happiness and sunshine illuminated like a fire dragon met the summit of ceremony.  

The legend of the torch festival is various. These vivid stories show different cultural background and spiritual understanding. It is recorded that in the late Ming Dynasty the torch day of crowd attendence often hold on not only from folk note but also from governmental record. As a natural phenomenon, fire was regarded as mysterious one in ancient. Primitive frightened out of their wits when they saw thunder and electricity sparkling to make fire in the whole mountain. During the period of usage fire, people gradually learned how to use and control. It means that people learn to make good use of fire as the ashes in ancient cave proven. Since then, people admire fire and regard fire as holy to sacrifice.  

Fire supplies people with cooked food accordingly to enlarge food species. Fire adds more warmth to people who have larger places to dwell. Fire brings people with a brighter world and prolongs usable hours for living. Fire is weapon to fight with wild animals. Fire can be good used in smelting and make pottery. Fire is both human being’s good friend and deadly threaten to people. All will crumble to dust in case of out of control. Naturally, people gradually admire to Fire God at the drive force of complex emotion of fear and fond. The Sani people esteem fire in history. Once fire happens, they all sacrifice the Fire God to prevent from fire damage. The origin of the Torch Festival is linked with the adoration of fire. People add new morals to festival on base of their wishes and understanding. Today the torch festival becomes more and more colorful.  

It is an eternal subject to battle with nature on the way of human being’s progress. On the exclusive historical background, people endowed the traditional torch festival with fighting with devil that is an inevitable result of culture. The legend is passed down. Long long ago, at the coming of golden harvest, the god named Enzeguzi was unwilling to let Yi people have a good time. He sent 10 giants to spoil plant. Yi people were all out of rage. Among them, a young guy named Secong was fractious to be against with giants. He took off his overclothes and his strong arms uncovered. He eventually hurl them to the ground during the period of three days and nights.10 giants lowering their heads looked embarrassed, then became a bald mountain. The god became angry and scattered powder which changed into countless insects as black clounds shielding sunshine. The Yi people lightened torches to burn insects. Since than, on 24th June year after year when is traditional day of Yi people in order to celebrate good harvest. It is said that the torch festival is namely solstitial Xinghui Day. The purpose of festival is luring vales watch torches. All legends manifested the determination of human beings against with nature. Today, on the night of the torch festival, people will raise torches to show strength and value of human beings.

In ranking society, social battle irritates human beings in the whole life. It is easily understood that the legend of the torch festival combines with social tussle. In ancient, a local landlord named Mugenisai passed a magic sword by his father. Once he read curse, he would cut people’s heads down. Slaveries went against him time after time and eventually were defeated by his swords. A clever boy found out a good idea. He called everybody to bind torches with horns of sheep of their own. These sheep headed for the castle the landlord lived. Mugenisai was able not to crush out fire. So he was suspicious of his sword and try a cut to you. As a result, he lost his life. Slaveries took victory of fighting. Besides legend mentioned above, it comes down some stories about folk conflicts that are more elegant and affecting than feudal historian did.  

The most characteristic of the torch festival is innovation. More and more cultural meaning endows vivid longevity with festival. Nowadays, there is exhibition or material exchange and symposium in some areas. Shilin is famous for dance, wrestling and cattle fighting interior and exterior country. On the 24th June each year, people in mass well dressed up and assemble in the field. In recent years, more and more guests from strange places come here to join the ceremony. Local government takes a two-day holiday as a public proclamation to share with friends from afar. At noon, boys are playing the great three strings and flute, and girls hanging embroidery pouch of their own run into the dancing. They begin to dance lightly like birds. Adagiettos expresses a kind of long-lasting love; while, quickstep means a sense of free and easy way. The kind of health agitated music is more natural than so-call music of modern society.  

Cattle fighting can not be in absence of the torch festival. This kind of fighting is different from that of Spaish. Why have a cattle fighting in the torch festival? It is an ancient story. A god named Yi came to the world. He saw herds of cattle roaming on the slope. So he fist to kill a scalper, then kick a buffalo severely. Cattles were not in dread of god and laid siege to him. Eventually god had no chance returning the heaven and became a devil statuary standing on the hill forever. To praise cattle’s bravery, people hold on the cattle fighting during the festival. While, nobody would like be as a devil so that a couple of cattle have a fight each other. Cattle in the story apparently symbolizes beauty and goodness.  

As for human beings, cattle plays an important role in substance. Fresh are eaten by people. Skins are made into clothes. Whether they die or not always are victim of human beings, however they don’t feel sorrow or complain. The people who live in montanic area regard cattle as treasure. Plough, trampling feces, being eaten, being sold, all things mentioned are not far from cattle in daily life. It is a criterion to strength and posture of cattle via fighting-cattle. The docile buffaloes are in rage on the competition field. Some stir up with their horns, others clap and haul with their double horns. Strong buffalo accumulate strength to defeat rival. Cattle wins victory by its power, the owner of cattle gains fame by his cattle, audience acquires happiness. How interesting it is!  

The warlike cattle are not their nature. They possess another kind of beauty—fortitude, selfish, honesty, kindness, and duration out of competition field. Wrestling is the summit of the festival. It is heartstrings that pulling, pushing, backing, carrying are battle of wits. The young people of Yi nationality gain honors in the world. The joyful wrestling field and dance silhouette are in harmony. It is just the daytime of the Torch Festival. 　　

Nearing night, torches are lightening, look like countless stars in the distance and a flaming dragon on near sight. Piles of fire burning with transparent flame, then become blue and disappear in dark. Some torches are made by branches with duration and flammability, others are stalks sparkling. Dancing people with smile shuttle in the flame of fire. The contribution of the torch festival is emotional contend of busy people. It told us that arts and life can not separate.　　

In the midnight, groups of torches flamed in the field showing power to natural disaster in order to seek for safety and foison. After that, the young drive into river to swim. It is said that it is luck to have a good bath at the night of festival. In some areas, ceremony goes on till sun rises next morning. 　

The torches, is sparking in dark. Red color is mood of mountainous village in June. Re camellia, red sea of flowers, bold ardor, colorful living, no wonder the Yi people adore red color due to the root of solid existence. We can help associating trappings of the Yi people as soon as see the night of festival.  

Torch is symbol of ardency and sunshine. In ancient, people living in dark were seeking for sunshine. We could understand how the Yi people are eager to look forward to sunshine after they came through hardly experience. The torch festival, which is folk traditional custom and festival, shows core of Yi people in emotion.