The Origin and Legend of Torch Festival

The Origin and Legend of Torch Festival

Do you know the origin and legend of Torch Festival? This is an article I collected for you. The origin and legend of Torch Festival? For your reference, I hope to help friends in need!

Torch Festival is a unique traditional festival of Yi people, which has been followed for more than 1000 years since Han and Tang Dynasties. Torch Festival is usually held on the 24th of the lunar calendar every year and lasts for three days. There are dozens of records and legends about the origin of Torch Festival, which are rich in content and beautiful. A more common saying is:

1. According to legend, Entiguzi (the god in Yi mythology) sent his minions to the mortal world to kill all living beings and crops. People, led by Zhige Aru, a hero in Yi mythology, were fearless and burned pests with torches on June 24th of the lunar calendar, defeating God. Therefore, the Yi people designated this day as Torch Festival, which was handed down from generation to generation.

Second, Shu Lun compiled Xichang County Records. Tang Kaiyuan, Deng Geng imperial edict, one of the six imperial edicts. Nanzhao wants to merge five imperial edicts. Because of Tanabata, five imperial edicts are asked to drink in Songming Building. Deng Geng's wife is charitable, but she is afraid that her husband won't do it or listen, so she makes an appointment with her husband with a shovel and says goodbye. Compared with Nanzhao, the building caught fire, and the whereabouts of the husband's remains were unknown in all imperial edicts, and only charity returned the remains. Nanzhao welfare is different, and it is paid. It is good to say that my husband is not buried, but buried in Sakura City. Nanzhao was surrounded by soldiers, and in March, he was exhausted. It's a good thing to wait and die on an empty stomach, but Nanzhao found regret. Its city is called An Deyu. Today's Yunnan custom is June 24th, which is looser than every household. It was burned for a long time, and it was burned at night to pray for the New Year and apologize for the richness of the torch. Friends and relatives get together, chop sacrifices and drink. Are foreigners like China people? . Just like Xichang County Records. The Records of Literature and Art (Zhi Zhu's Ci of Jianchang) contains: The prophet who went to the banquet could not return, and the smoke in the firewood house was still sad. Now the wahoo has become a custom, and the ice heart has turned to dust; Hui Xin has long gone, and it is difficult to return. Give him a golden cup to cover up his sorrow. People throughout the ages still light up festivals, swallow six imperial edicts and turn them into ashes.

3. In ancient times, a Hercules in the sky wrestled with a Hercules on the ground. The Hercules in the sky was defeated by the Hercules on the ground and fled to the sky in panic, making trouble in front of the gods, so the gods took it out on people indiscriminately and sent a large number of pests to the ground to destroy crops and endanger the people. People lit torches to drive away pests and defeated the gods. This day happened to be June 24th of the lunar calendar, which was decided by the Yi people.

Torch Festival is the biggest traditional festival of Yi people in Liangshan, Sichuan. At that time, every family drank, ate tuotuo meat and killed animals to worship their ancestors. People put on new clothes and carry out cultural and sports activities with national characteristics. Men take part in bullfighting, herding sheep, raising chickens, horse racing and wrestling. Women sing, play strings and play Qin Yue. Swim the flashlight around the house at night; On the third night, they traveled around Shan Ye in groups with torches, and then they gathered in one place to light bonfires, burn torches, drink, sing and dance until the end of the morning.

Introduction of torch festival custom

Torch Festival is a traditional festival of Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lahu, Hani and Pumi. Yi, Naxi and Jinuo nationalities are on June 24th, Bai on June 25th and Lahu on June 20th. This festival lasts for two or three days.

Yi people think that the ears of grain that grow after Torch Festival are 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. During the festival, young men and women of all ethnic groups light torches made of pine and go to the fields in the village for activities. While walking, sprinkle rosin on the torch to pray for the new year, and get rid of filth for good luck; Or singing, dancing, horse racing, bullfighting, wrestling; Or hold a big bonfire party and party all night. Nowadays, people also use parties to socialize or meet lovers, and conduct business activities on festivals. On the third day of Torch Festival, what is the name of Yi language? Tussaud? ,? Both? Meaning? Fire? ,? Sand? Meaning? Send? , that is to say? Send the Vulcan? Or? Send a festival? .

This afternoon, every family will kill a chicken, which means that if the chicken tongue is smooth, this year will be considered lucky. If the chicken tongue is not smooth, it will be considered unlucky. In addition, choose another chicken and look at the slaughtered chicken tongue. If it doesn't go well, please ask Bimo to do it after the Torch Festival? Pray for disaster relief? Primitive religious activities. The view of chicken tongue is: after the chicken head is cooked, take it out first, let the old man pull out the chicken tongue and the root of the tongue, then scrape the chicken on the tongue and look at the middle of the chicken tongue first. If it is bent, it is considered auspicious; Bend inward into a circle, and you will think that the master will die, and bend outward into a circle. You also think that guests or relatives will die. Bending inward on both sides is considered urgent; Bend outward and feel very urgent. After dinner is done, the rice, meat and soup on the cupboard should be heated, and the elders at home will throw them at the gate to show their respect for Vulcan. After reading a prayer for peace and good weather, they will take them back to the house and give some food to everyone, indicating that the food for Vulcan will be blessed by Vulcan after eating.

When the morning star in the southeast appeared, every household in the village lit torches and danced and read in the room:

Burn, burn,

Burning insects that eat crops,

Burning hunger and disease,

The plague that killed pigs, cattle, sheep and horses,

Burn a happy harvest year.

After the old man finished reading, he asked his children to pick up the torch at the gate of the courtyard, and the young men and women picked it up in the field. They also read the message of Torch Festival, took the chicken wings and feathers slaughtered on the first day, sang songs and went to a slope or cliff far from their home in the north, threw torches at places where evil spirits were burned over the years (usually under the village), and picked them up (intended to coax away all evil spirits). At this time, the torch shines all over the mountain, the fire dragon meanders in the mountain, and there are stars and stars flashing on the top of the mountain and the valley, as if rosy clouds are flying. What a good one? Firewood and silver flowers are sleepless? . Yang Shengan, the champion of the Ming Dynasty, once wrote a poem praising the night scene of Torch Festival: Who smashed the space and the stars fell into the world? . These two poems by Yang Sheng 'an faithfully describe the beautiful scenery of Torch Festival night. Young people will gather torches on a clean slope without pig excrement and horse urine. Each person symbolically throws nine grass mounds and nine pebbles into the fire, and then takes his unfinished torches to form a long fire dragon, circling around the mountains and ridges. The young man's heroic spirit and the girl's smile are reflected in the sparkling fire. Everyone is singing and dancing, and gradually there are fewer torches and shorter fire dragons.

When the evil spirits were burned to death, people formed their own teams. Every family has to hold this ceremony, and the lonely old people let the children in the village take their place. ) Turn on the torch, light the bonfire, and burn the chicken wings, chicken feet and chicken thigh bones slaughtered the night before, and the gods symbolizing evil will also be burned. Because chickens wander around in front of their houses and fields, people believe that evil spirits are attached to chickens. Then find a bigger stone and press the remaining torches, chicken feathers, etc. Under the stone. The fire must face north? De Blomo? That is, the devil's residence, makes people safe, cattle and sheep flourish, and grains abound. Suddenly, the burning smell of thick fur and the fragrance of Artemisia branches spread in Shan Ye with the evening breeze.

By the light of the bonfire, people set up rows of wooden troughs symbolizing feeding livestock with salt water and stone troughs symbolizing feeding pigs with Artemisia sticks, and kept calling horses, cows, sheep, pigs and chickens in their mouths to pray for the prosperity of six livestock.

The torches of this night should be tied thick and long, otherwise they will not be enough. After the evil spirits were sent away, people returned to the dam to light bonfires and continued to sing and dance to welcome the harvest. The children also get together to evaluate who is the best to tie the torch this year and discuss where to tie the torch with Artemisia branches next spring to welcome the Torch Festival next year.

The third night of Torch Festival is the end of Torch Festival. At night, the torches like dragons in the village, like twinkling stars, finally gather in one place and burn into a fire to show that the whole village is United to defend against natural disasters. People threw chicken feathers into the raging fire one by one, and the flame reflected half the sky. At this time, people will use torches to make pig, cow, sheep and manger-shaped stalks, or split bamboo in half to make livestock salt feeding troughs, and then pick up some pebbles and put them on the trough-shaped Artemisia stalks. Generally, there are nine pebbles on each trough, which means countless. It is written in the mouth: Through this Torch Festival, I hope that our family will have abundant grains, cattle and sheep all over the hillside, and beautiful women, warriors, capable people and everything will gather in my home. ? Waiting for greetings, let the family live and work in peace and contentment, and be lucky.

The custom of torch festival in Yunnan Yi area is different from that in Liangshan Yi area.

Strictly speaking, the customs of the Torch Festival of Yi people are different from branch to branch, and each branch has its own characteristics.

It is reasonable to write the custom of the torch festival of the Yi people, but it is impossible to travel all over the Yi areas because of funds and other reasons. In addition to some torch festival customs in Liangshan Yi area, the author's understanding of torch festival customs in Yunnan and Guizhou Yi areas is only obtained from the introduction of relevant materials.

From the perspective of folklore, the Torch Festival in Liangshan area is large in scale, and the customs are basically the same, with the exception of Torch Festival. Enoch? Outside this area, there is no ethnic group that does not celebrate the Torch Festival. Besides the folk, the Yi people in the city also celebrate the Torch Festival.

The situation of Torch Festival in Yunnan and Guizhou Yi areas is different. In some Yi inhabited areas in Yunnan, most people hold Torch Festival activities, while in some areas, families express themselves at home. In some areas, Torch Festival is no longer celebrated, but it is just an oral legend. Some Yi people in Guizhou celebrated the Torch Festival, but its content and form were simplified, which is said to be just a simple expression of each family.

Torch Festival is also a grand festival for Bai people. Every year on June 25th in the summer calendar, the Bai people hold activities to wish people and animals a bumper harvest and prosperity. That night, a torch was erected in front of every house. There are red and green paper flags on the public torches at the entrance of the village, and some auspicious sentences are written. The villagers held torches high and marched in the fields for a week to catch pests. In addition, there are a series of literary and artistic activities, such as "going around three souls", "playing in the sea" and boating and releasing people.

Every year, on June 24th of the lunar calendar, in the famous space city, Moon city? In Xichang, the Yi people living there should wear festive costumes, sing and dance, hold grand beauty contests and competitions, horse racing, wrestling and archery, and light torches to March in the wilderness at night to commemorate their heroes.

Four theories on torch festival

According to legend, the 24th June of the lunar calendar is the anniversary of human use of fire. The Bai, Yi, Pumi, Naxi and other ethnic groups living in Yunnan have designated June 24th as the traditional Torch Festival, and various activities will be held to celebrate it.

Kind? The sun?

On the Torch Festival, the Bai and Yi people in the western hills of Heqing will hold a seed. The sun? Activities. It's daytime. Where are people? Play songs? A fire was set up in the center of the site, and piles of dry wood were piled around the torch. A carefully selected dry flammable stump was planted in front of the torch as a symbol of the sun. When the sun goes down, people who have already gathered at the venue will arrive in turn with selected sticks. The sun? Going? Drill? Wood makes a fire. Whoever it is. Drill? As soon as Mars came out, people flocked to use the grass wool and dry branches and leaves that had already been prepared? Answer? Ignite the seeds. Try to move the fire to the woodpile and light it. Immediately, everyone lit a fire from the fire with a small torch and took it home to light the fireplaces of each family. What is this called? The sun? . When the sun goes down, people gather together? Play songs? White field

On the burning bonfire, the fire was ignited again. Then, ring torches and fire? Play songs? Praise the happiness that fire gives people and stay up all night.

It's dangerous to do so

On the night of the Torch Festival, Bai and Naxi people who live in the foothills of Wufeng Mountain adjacent to Heqing and Lijiang will hold activities to play with fire. People tied bundles of red flowers on all the big trees in the village, symbolizing? Red flowers and burning trees burn like torches? . When the first star appeared in the sky, people were singing and dancing with small torches lit. Red flamingo? Sing a song.

Sacrifice to the Vulcan people

On the Torch Festival, Pumi people living in ninglang county will hold activities to worship Vulcan. According to legend, the Vulcan worshiped by Pumi people is called Anggumi, who was originally the female ancestor of Mosuo people. For the happiness of her offspring and Pumi people who live with her ethnic group, she sneaked into the Heavenly Palace and stole the fire, using her body as a torch to lead the fire to the world, so that Mosuo people and Pumi people could get the fire at the same time. In order not to forget the kindness of Anggumi from generation to generation, Pumi people set the day when Anggumi brought fire as a festival to worship Vulcan.

In the early morning of the festival, people planted a big pine tree at their respective village entrances, symbolizing the embodiment of Anguomei. The tree is covered with small torches, and how many people there are in the village, the tree will be hung with small torches corresponding to the population. Have you been offering sacrifices all afternoon? Avatar? Later, the oldest old woman in the village will? Avatar? Light it. Participants, each from? Avatar? Take a small torch from the table, too? Avatar? Light it on the table. Then, under the leadership of the old woman, everyone gathered around. Avatar? Dancing in the pot, praising Leon Gu Mi's contribution to the spread of kindling. Like? Avatar? Later, everyone paired up in groups, held torches, danced in villages, fields and mountains and sang loudly. Pray for the blessing of Anggumi, the god of fire, and bless the prosperity of people and animals in the village, the abundant grain, the peace in the village and all the best?

Dance with the fire and sing the seeds

Huangping Township is a hot spot in Heqing County with rich products. According to legend, the residents here are descendants of Kong Ming and Meng Huo who left the army and came here. This fertile soil was cultivated when Kong Ming and Meng Huo formed an alliance. And on the evening of June 24, burning the midnight oil, five seeds were sown for the first time, and the barren land became fertile land. To commemorate this day, future generations will light torches every day, burn the midnight oil and sow crops in Xiao Chun. At that time, old people and children were holding torches, singing and dancing around the fields, and young people were sowing seeds in the fields. Labor production and folk activities are integrated and have a unique flavor.

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