A series of activities took place in Yuexi county, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, from Sunday to Tuesday to celebrate Torch Festival, the grandest traditional celebration of the Yi ethnic group.
The event kicked off with a themed parade, with residents from across the county dressed in traditional Yi attire and marching in township teams. Each team displayed their local specialties and traditional crafts, from organic highland produce to exquisite embroidered accessories and lacquerware.
Traditional folk competitions followed, drawing roaring crowds with fierce horse racing, bullfighting, sheep fighting, and wrestling.
The event also featured a contest to select cultural tourism ambassadors, during which participants displayed traditional costumes, presented artistic performances, and shared stories of their hometowns.
The highlight was a torch show set in the terraced fields. Following displays of Yi embroidery and traditional song and dance performances. Torches placed across the fields were lit one after another, creating a breathtaking rural nightscape.
Traditional rituals were held to welcome, honor and bid farewell to the fire, in line with the Yi people's millennia-old fire culture.
After the rituals, locals and tourists walked into the fields with torches in hand, singing and dancing as the festival continued into the night.
