摘要
THE Yi’s New Year is a popular folk festival celebrated by the Yi ethnic group in Sichuan,Yunnan,and Guizhou provinces,and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on an auspicious day around November 20 every year.It has a long history,with early records dating back to the Tang Dynasty(618-917).There are many traditional customs and practices associated with this ethnic group’s New Year.When the festival is soon to arrive,every household begins to conduct the task of house cleaning,dusting and cleaning all kinds of utensils in their homes.The intention of this activity is to get rid of all the bad things in the house,symbolizing Yi people’s good wish to ward off evil and bring in a good fortune.Yi people also pile firewood in high and neat stacks in front of their houses as they believe that the height of the stacks reflects the hard work they have done during the past year and also augurs a happy life they are going to have.
