江蘇省連云港市贛榆區(qū)羅陽中學(xué) 陳傳光 供稿

Torch Festival is a traditional festival celebrated by Yi nationality in southwestern China. It usually falls on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month with three days of celebration. As its name suggests， the torch plays a very important part. The brightly burning torches are a symbol of fire. It is believed the origin2 of the festival may have something to do with the worship3 of fire. Ancient people believed fire had the power to kill insects4， drive away evils5 and protect the crops. Fire has already taken the position as god in their life. Torch Festival is a special festival to pay tribute to the god of fire.

火把節(jié)是中國西南部彝族人民慶祝的一個傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日。火把節(jié)始于陰歷6月24，慶?；顒映掷m(xù)3天。從節(jié)日的名稱可以看出，火把在這個節(jié)日中起著舉足輕重的作用。熊熊燃燒的火把是火的象征。通常人們認(rèn)為火把節(jié)起源于彝族對火的自然崇拜。遠(yuǎn)古時代的彝族人相信火可以殺蟲害、驅(qū)邪并保護(hù)農(nóng)作物。因此，火在彝族人的生活中已經(jīng)占據(jù)了神明的位置?；鸢压?jié)就是彝族人民為了贊頌火神而舉行的節(jié)日。

Torches are the center of the festival activities. During the festival， big torches tied up with dried wood are planted in all villages. Small torches are placed in front of the door of each house. When night falls， the torches are lit and the villages are as bright as daytime. At the same time， people walk around the fields and houses， holding small torches and placing the torches in the field corners. Later in the night， people would gather around a five-meter-tall platform6， on which the shrine7 of the god of fire is built. Then with the drums and dances， the fire ritual begins.

節(jié)日的一系列活動都圍繞火把展開。節(jié)日期間，所有的村莊都豎起捆綁著干木材的大火把。家家戶戶門前也都放置了小一點的火把。當(dāng)夜幕降臨的時候，人們點燃村里所有的火把，整個村莊便夜如白晝。同時，舉著火把的人們在田地和房子周圍列隊前進(jìn)，并且他們將火把插在田地的四角。夜色稍晚時分，人們便會聚集到一個高達(dá)5米的火神的祭壇周圍。隨著鼓聲響起，舞蹈開始，祭祀活動也拉開了帷幕。

Another thing worthy of mentioning is about the special costumes. In some way， torch festival is like a fashion fair. On the occasion8， young ladies dress best in their own way. Their clothes are colorful and have hundreds of varieties. The special clothing culture of Yi people is unfolded before eyes. Also， a costume contest is usually held. Dressed in beautiful clothes， young girls dance elegantly9 to the music. The elders make comments and finally the most beautiful one

will be chosen.

另外值得一提的是火把節(jié)獨具特色的服裝。從某種意義上來說，火把節(jié)就像一個服裝盛會。在這個特別的場合，年輕的女孩們以自己的方式穿著盛裝。她們的衣服顏色豐富多彩，樣式千姿百態(tài)。這充分展示了彝族獨特的服飾文化。通常，人們還會舉辦一場服飾大賽。穿著亮麗的年輕女孩們隨著音樂翩翩起舞。年長者會對她們的舞蹈做出評價并最終選出最漂亮的一個。

Torch festival is also a grand occasion for sports. Men show their strength of character from many exciting sports activities such as horse races， bullfights， arrow10 shooting， wrestling11， tugs-of-wars12 and swimming etc.. In horse races， torches are usually used to make hurdles13 for riders to get through. In all these activities， a competitor may win both the game and “a girls eyes and heart”.

火把節(jié)也是一場運動盛會。男子們通過各種各樣的體育活動來展現(xiàn)自己堅強的個性。這些活動包括賽馬、斗牛、射箭、摔跤、拔河、游泳等。賽馬的時候，火把會被做成跳欄，讓比賽者騎馬跨過去。這些活動中都會有人脫穎而出，這些佼佼者們不僅贏得了比賽，也贏得了“美人的眼球和心”。

Among the traditional festivals of the Chinese minorities14， Torch Festival is one of the most charming15 festivals and it is regarded as “the Carnival of the Orient”. The worship of nature and the simple life are something missing in modern life. The colorful costumes， the singing and dancing and the sports activities all together make a festival with the strongest national flavor16， and also a most attractive one.

彝族火把節(jié)是中國少數(shù)民族傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日中最具魅力的節(jié)日之一，它享有“東方狂歡夜”的美譽。對自然的崇拜和簡樸的生活方式是現(xiàn)代生活所缺失的。多姿多彩的服飾、各種歌舞以及運動項目，所有這些都造就了一個具有強烈民族特色的節(jié)日，同時也造就了一個令人神往的節(jié)日。

1. nationality [] n. 國家；民族；部落 2. origin [] n. 起源

3. worship [] v. 崇拜；尊敬 4. insect [] n. 昆蟲

5. evil [] n. 邪惡；災(zāi)禍 6. platform [] n. 平臺；壇

7. shrine [] n. 圣地；神殿 8. occasion [] n. 機會；場合

9. elegantly [] adv. 優(yōu)美地 10. arrow [] n. 箭

11. wrestling [] n. 摔跤；扭斗 12. tug-of-war n. 拔河

13. hurdle [] n. 障礙；跳欄 14. minority [] n. 少數(shù)民族

15. charming [] adj. 迷人的 16. flavor [] n. 情味，風(fēng)味