The Torch Festival or Fire Festival (Chinese: 火把节; pinyin: Huǒbǎ Jié; Nuosu language: ꄔꊒ; YYPY Dut Zie; Bai: Huix‧zuit‧jiarx), also known as the Xinghui Festival (Chinese: 星回节; pinyin: Xīnghuí Jié; lit. 'return of the stars')[1] is one of the main holidays of the Yi people of southwest China and is celebrated by other ethnic groups of the region (including the Bai, the Hani, the Lahu, the Naxi, and the Pumi) as well.[2] It is celebrated on the 24th or 25th day of the sixth month of the Yi calendar, corresponding to August in the Gregorian calendar.[3][4] It commemorates the legendary wrestler Atilabia, who drove away a plague of locusts using torches made from pine trees.[5] Since 1993, the government of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan has sponsored a modernised celebration of the festival featuring wrestling, horse racing, dance shows, and a beauty contest.[6]
- ^ Wei, Liming (2010). Chinese Festivals: Traditions, Customs and Rituals (Second ed.). Beijing. pp. 106–109. ISBN 9787508516936.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Harrell 2001, p. 184
- ^ Miller, Guo & Xu 1994, p. 115
- ^ Harrell 2001, p. 185
- ^ Miller, Guo & Xu 1994, p. 115
- ^ Harrell 2001, p. 185