Yi Nationality:Creator Of The Ten-month Solar Calendar
Yis in Yunnan have a population of 4,705,700 who are the descendants of the ancient Di-Qiang ethnic group living 6,000~7,000 years ago in Northwest China. Most of Yis in Yunnan live in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in West Yunnan and Honghe Hani-Yi Autonomous Prefecture in South Yunnan. Yis have their own spoken and written languages. The traits of Yi culture are revealed in the worship of tiger, fire, force and black color. The Ten-Month Solar Calendar of Yi Nationality is regarded as an equal of the world-famous Maya civilization.
The Torch Festival: The Carnival of Yi Nationality
This grand festival is held at night from July 24th to July 24th on the lunar calendar. When night falls, Yis in groups will walk to neighboring villages, carrying torches with rosin powder and exchanging good wishes. Yis in Lunan and Guishan will play their three-stringed musical instrument and dance in their own styles, and wrestling and bullfighting are very popular with them. Yis in Chuxiong and Mile will also hold the traditional fire-worship ceremony.
The Costume Festival: A Fashion Show of Yi Girls
This festival is held at Zhiju Village of Yongren County on January 15th and at Santai Township of Dayao County on March 28th in Chuxiong Prefecture.
This festival offers a golden opportunity for Yi lads and lasses to express their love. The Yi girls like to embody their skills in their own embroidered clothes.
Da Performance: The Most Popular Folk Dance
During the marriage ceremony, a harvest or festival, Yis, numbering from scores of people to one thousand, will dance around the burning bonfires and to their own musical instruments. Holding the hands of the opposite sex and stamping on the ground, they will dance in an anticlockwise way the whole night. It has been proved that this dance became popular in the Han and the Tang Dynasty in central and south China. In 1986, The American Association of International Folk Arts included this dance in the top-ten most popular folk dances of the world.
The Ten-Month Solar Calendar of Yi Nationality: An Equal to Maya Civilization
Yis have kept up their old Ten-Month Solar Calendar which has a history of ten thousand years. This indicates that Chinese civilization emerged earlier than Egyptian civilization, Indian civilization or Babylonian civilization. Yi’s Sky-facing Tomb which is closely related to its solar calendar was a kind of astronomical observatory in the past.
"Climbing to the Boudoir": A Typical Yi Marriage Custom
"Climbing to the Boudoir” is a typical Yi custom. When a Yi girl is 16, her parents will build a grass-roofed small house of her own. A Yi boy who is over 20 and in love with her can “climb up” to this boudoir. If they both are satisfied, they can get the permission from their parents for marriage.
"Tiao-Cai": A Dance-like Style of Serving Yi Dishes
This unique style is regarded as the most respectful one popular with Yis in Wuliang Mountain and Ailao Mountain, which reveals Yi dietary culture combining dance, music with acrobatics. The beating of gongs ushers in the singing of Yi girls and two Yi boys carrying two plates (24 bowls) on their heads and arms. They dance to the folk music, and with humorous actions put each dish in order on the table.
Yi Earthen House: A Unique Style
A Yi earthen house looks much like the Tibetan stone-house but its walls are made of earth which is beaten hard while being built. Its flat roof is also used for drying things. Most of such houses are found in central and southeast Yunnan. This house consists of 3~5 rooms. The central room has a fire-pit which is the gathering spot both for the family members and guests.
