@chinaminutes: Every summer, thousands of flaming torches light up towns, villages and mountains across southwest China for the Torch Festival (火把节), one of the region's oldest and most important traditional celebrations. Usually held on the 24th or the 25th day of the sixth month of the traditional Chinese calendar (dates vary slightly between ethnic groups), the festival celebrates a good harvest, prosperity and community, while fire is traditionally believed to drive away misfortune and bring blessings for the year ahead. The festival is celebrated by several ethnic groups, including the Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lisu, Hani and Pumi, with the Yi people's celebrations being the largest and most well known. According to one of the best-known Yi legends, the festival commemorates the legendary wrestler Atilaba, who drove away a devastating plague of locusts with pine torches, saving the harvest. Across Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and parts of Guangxi, celebrations feature giant bonfires, torch parades, traditional singing and dancing, folk sports, and people dressed in vibrant ethnic costumes. 💭Have you ever seen a festival quite like this?👇🏼 #festivals #fire #china #culture #ethnicminority

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Saturday 08 August 2026 17:08:21 GMT