August 4, 2010 witnessed the opening ceremony of the Sixth International Yi Torch Festival of Liangshan, an annual gathering also known as the “Festival for the Eyes” and the “Mardi Gras of the East.”

 

The Yi Torch Festival of Liangshan is a traditional, time-honored and large-scale festival celebrated annually by the fire-revering Yi people. In history, the festival was also observed by many ethnic branches of the Yi-Nuosu, Luoluo and Sani, to name just a few-and by some neighboring ethnic groups -Bai, Hani, Susu, Lahu, Naxi, and Jinuo.

The Torch Festival in the Yi language means “worshipping fire,” and a ritual song Worshipping the God of Fire, relates the story of the Fire God. The Torch Festival in essence expresses human reverence for fire, the belief and core culture of the Yi people. During the festival, various fire-worshipping activities serve to pray for happiness and to drive away evils.

Legends about its origins are many and various, but the most widespread is as follows: Way back in the mists of time the Celestial King sent an emissary to the human world to collect taxes, but the emissary’s bullying and extortion roused public indignation. A hero led his tribe to rise up, and with lighted torches they drove back the emissary to the Celestial Palace. However, the villain made false accusations against the human world, and a plague of celestial locusts was sent down to devour all their crops. The Yis responded by lighting their torches and burning all the locusts. After this victory, crops prospered and domestic animals thrived. The victory day was the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, and the legacy of lighting torches became the Torch Festival.