What is the origin and customs of the bonfire festival?

The bonfire festival is a traditional custom of the Oroqen people in Northeast China, and it is also one of their most important programs, on the day of the bonfire festival, the Oroqen people will worship the fire to show their respect for the fire. Then they would sit around the campfire and talk and drink. Let's take a closer look at the bonfire festival.

The Oroqen people have lived and multiplied in the vast forests for generations, making a living from hunting, and forming an indissoluble bond with fire. Fire can be used for heating, lighting, cooking, and can also cause disasters, the Oroqen people believe"Touob is like a kan"(Vulcan) is one of nature's great deities. On the morning of the first day of the first month of each year, you must first bow down to the fire pond and kowtow, and then kowtow to the elders in the family to pay homage to the New Year; When you go to someone else's house to pay New Year's greetings, you must first bow down to the fire pit when you enter the house.

Every day at the time of meals, some meat, rice and other food should be thrown into the fire as an offering. Reverence for or God is also manifested in the prohibition of pouring water on fires, using knives and forks, and burning firewood that bursts into sparks, lest it anger the god of fire.

The Spring Festival of the Oroqen tribe is a day to send the old and welcome the new to celebrate the hunting harvest, and on Chinese New Year's Eve, every household lights a bonfire in front of the door, worships and bows, and prays that the fire god will bless the safety of people and animals and give more prey.

In addition to the Spring Festival, the Oroqen people return from every hunting harvest, but also with the tribesmen to light a bonfire for a week, singing and dancing, celebrating the return of the hunt, in short, the Oroqen people revere the fire and call it the god of fire, everywhere is inseparable.

After liberation, the traditional customs were also affected by the transformation of the settlement and production economy from hunting to agriculture and animal husbandry. In order to carry forward the traditional national culture and respect the national customs and habits, in 1991, the Flag Committee and the Flag Committee determined June 8 every year as the bonfire festival according to the traditions of the Oroqen people and the wishes of the masses. Considering that June 8 is during the fire prevention and martial law period, it is unsafe to use fire in the wild, and the Standing Committee of the Flag Committee has decided to change the bonfire festival to June 18 every year.

In 1996, the Standing Committee of the Eighth People's Congress of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the 20th meeting of the "Oroqen Autonomous Banner Autonomy Regulations" in Chapter VIII of the supplementary provisions stipulated: June 7 of each year is the anniversary of the establishment of the autonomous flag, and June 18 is the traditional Oroqen national festival --- bonfire festival.

The origin of the bonfire festival.

June 18 every year is the traditional festival of the Oroqen people - the bonfire festival. On this day, the Oroqen people will light bonfires, sing and dance, and celebrate the festivals of their own people.

The Oroqen people have a long history of worshipping the god of fire. They believed that fire had the effect of warding away evil spirits and defilements, and that utensils and clothes were baked on the fire and were considered to have become clean. On the twenty-third day of the lunar month, there is also the custom of sending the god of fire to heaven.

On the morning of the Spring Festival, offerings are made to the god of fire, and kowtows to the bonfire during the sacrifice to pray for blessings. When guests come to pay their respects during the Spring Festival, they must first worship the god of fire.

The Oroqen people have a series of strict taboos about fire: they are not allowed to throw water, throw dirt, spit, or stab sharp objects such as knives and sticks into the fire, so as not to anger and hurt the god of fire. When they light the bonfire, the branches and sticks must be laid out evenly, and it is strictly forbidden to put them indiscriminately, and when using the burner, be careful not to use firewood that may burst out of sparks, so as not to burst the eyes of the god of fire.

Whenever people moved, water was not allowed to extinguish the fire, and the fire had to be carried from one place to another.

The ancestors of the Oroqen formed an indissoluble bond with fire, they hunted in the deep mountains and old forests all year round, and in the struggle against nature, because of the fire, they were able to survive and reproduce from generation to generation. Therefore, he has a special affection for fire and is extremely close to the campfire. <>

Torch FestivalOrigin:According to the Lahu.

According to folklore, it refers to a wicked man living on the mountain at that time, and the wicked man ate human eyes. Every year on the 24th day of June, the wicked see the sparks and think that people are carrying muskets.

When they came to beat him, they hurried into the cave and drowned in the water that came out of the cave. Therefore, the Lahu people designated this day as the Torch Festival.

Torch Festival customs:The torch festival is the Yi and Bai people.

The traditional festivals of the Lahu and other ethnic groups, and the time of the torch festival held by different ethnic groups is also different, and the main customs are that the fire will be sacrificed on the first day, and the village will slaughter cattle and sheep to share collectively.

By the time the fire was held the next day, families gathered under the altar fire and held various events. On the third day, when night fell, everyone ran with a torch in their hands.

The legend of the Torch Festival:

Jealous of the happy life on earth, the son of the gods, Rauap sent an old god to the earth and asked him to burn the world into a sea of fire. God will come to the world, see a man carrying an older child on his back, the younger child is leading away, he felt strange, a careful inquiry to know that the child on his back is a nephew, the child is a son, because the brother and sister-in-law are dead, the man thinks that he should take good care of his nephew.

God was deeply moved by such earthly virtues, and thought that the hearts of the people were so good, and how they could bear to harm them, so he told the man the news that the gods had burned the earth, and asked him to tell the people to light torches at the door beforehand on the twenty-fifth day of June, so as to avoid calamity.

So all the houses lit torches that night, and the gods thought that the people had perished in the fire, so they fell into a deep sleep and never woke up. Later, the Naxi tribe.

So the people made this day the Torch Festival.

BonfiresIt is the custom of the Oroqen ethnic group. Tachibana burns

Bonfires were originally a traditional form of celebration for the grassland people. Duan Qiao bonfire party is a traditional form of celebration of the grassland people, which is said to have been passed down in ancient times.

After learning to drill wood for fire, people discovered that fire could not only cook food, but also drive away wild animals and protect their lives, so they developed an initial reverence for fire.

Great Khing'an Mountains. On the banks of the Belz River, the Oroqen people, who mainly hunt, always hold an annual bonfire festival, which is a joyous festival to celebrate the harvest of hunting, and a grand gathering of hunters characterized by diaspora.

Meaning round Hu Yi

When the spring and summer hunting season passes, the hunters carry their game to the trading points. After returning food, clothing, tobacco and alcohol, all the hunters drove the reindeer.

The first year is usually chosen in the open meadows along the river, which is the season when the climate in the forest is mild and easy to move. When night falls, a large bonfire is lit on the meadow, around which people eat light meals and talk and laugh. After the meal, joyful singing and dancing.

Bonfires are not only a celebration of the harvest, but also an opportunity for hunters who do not look at each other throughout the year to mingle with each other, share friendships, discuss matters and exchange experiences. The bonfire festival is a rare opportunity for young men and women to talk about love, and after singing and dancing with the couple, they come to the depths of the jungle to talk sweetly. The bonfire festival is the grandest festival for Oroqen hunters.

The origin of the Torch Festival:

The Torch Festival is a traditional festival of the Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lahu, Hani, Pumi and other ethnic groups. The Yi, Naxi, and Kino ethnic groups are held on the 24th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the Bai ethnic group is held on the 25th of June, and the Lahu ethnic group is held on the 20th of June, and the festival lasts for two or three days.

The customs of the Torch Festival:

The Yi people believe that the torch festival is to grow ears of grain as thick as torches. Later generations used this fire to drive away the ghosts and evil spirits in the fields at home to ensure the safety of people and animals. During the festival, young men and women of all ethnic groups light torches made of pine wood, go to the villages and fields to carry out activities, and sprinkle rosin incense on the torches to pray for the New Year while walking, and seek good fortune in removing filth.

or singing, dancing, horse racing, bullfighting, wrestling; Or have a grand bonfire and party all night long. Nowadays, gatherings are also used as an occasion for social or lover gatherings, as well as for business and trade activities on festivals.

The Bai and Naxi ethnic groups who live in the foothills of the Wufeng Mountains adjacent to Heqing and Lijiang hold fire activities on the night of the Torch Festival. People tie clusters and bunches of saffron flowers on all the big trees in the village, symbolizing that "the safflower fire tree is like a torch". When the first star appears in the sky, people dance a small lighted torch, sing and dance, and sing a song around the "red flower fire tree".

The Pumi people living in Ninglang County hold a ceremony to honor the god of fire on the day of the Torch Festival. It is rumored that the god of fire worshipped by the Pumi people is called Ang Gumi, who was originally the female ancestor of the Mosuo people.

For the sake of the happiness of her descendants and the Pumi people who live in harmony with her own people, she sneaked into the heavenly palace and stole the fire, and used her body as a torch to lead the fire to the world, so that the Mosuo and the Pumi people obtained the fire at the same time. In order not to forget the kindness of Anggumi for generations, the Pumi people set the day when Anggumi brought the fire as a sacrifice to the Fire God Festival.

When it comes to bonfires, everyone knows that it is a very lively activity and is loved by many friends, so which ethnic group is the custom of bonfires? The bonfire party is a traditional festival of the Oroqen people in our country, and the time for the bonfire party is currently held every year is June 18 of the solar calendar. At present, there are three main parts of the bonfire festival, which are the opening ceremony, traditional sports competitions and bonfire entertainment evenings.

On the day of the bonfire festival, both men and women, young and old, will dress up carefully, put on costumes, and come to the bonfire square to hold a lively opening ceremony. There are many traditional competitions such as wrestling or horse racing, and when the bonfire is slowly rising, everyone will dance around the bonfire all night long.