Inviting God Playing Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Chuxiong City

Overview

Chinese Name: 楚雄市三街镇请神来玩节
English Name: Inviting God Playing Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Chuxiong City
Location: 楚雄市三街镇上新房村委会大丫口村/Dayakou Village, Shangxinfang Village Committee, Sanjie Town, Chuxiong City

Lengend of the Festival

In Shangxinfang Village Committee, Dayakou Village, Sanjie Town, Chuxiong City, Yunnan Province, is located under a ridge of mountains that stretches far away, reportedly originating from the Cangshan Mountains in Dali. The Yi ethnic group has lived here for generations and refers to themselves as Luoluo Wuxiangpo. They are hardworking, kind, simple, and honest, living a peaceful life without extravagant desires. Behind their village, every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, people come to hold a fair, and the sounds of string instruments and flute playing used to echo through the long river valley. Perhaps because of this, the Yi people in this village particularly love to have fun and make noise. The mysterious Yi festival of “Inviting the Gods to Play” originates from this village.

Decades ago, when people’s living standards were not very affluent, there was naturally little enthusiasm for television. In their spare time, everyone loved to play together. Therefore, during the New Year celebrations, the young and old in this village would take turns playing the “Inviting the Gods” game, enjoying it endlessly. They would play from the first day of the New Year until the fifteenth day, with the scene being lively and mysterious. It is said that after the fifteenth day, the gods could no longer be invited, and thus, the game could not be played anymore. The existence of the “Inviting the Gods to Play” festival, when shared with outsiders, is often met with skepticism.

During the “Inviting the Gods to Play” festival, each household prepares a feast for the villagers who come to participate. When all the small stars in the sky are visible and the villagers gather, the elders who can chant incantations will announce the beginning of the “Inviting the Gods” ceremony, allowing people to volunteer to participate. Before the “Inviting the Gods” begins, participants must wash their faces and feet, harboring pure intentions. Once everything is ready, the hosts will close the doors of the main hall, and those with windows will also close them, claiming that they fear the invited gods might cause those being possessed to run out and see the small stars, making it impossible for them to return to their “human form,” so they exercise extra caution. The ritual of inviting the gods takes place on the ground spread with green pine needles in front of the Yi “sacrificial altar” (which has offerings for various deities year-round). Those willing to be possessed by the gods kneel on the ground with incense lit, while the one chanting the incantations also lights incense in front of them and recites verses, the general meaning of which is to invite a certain celestial god to come and play, stating that life on earth is very enjoyable.