The Torch Festival is a big and popular festival celebrated in various ways by many ethnic groups in southwestern China. The Bai people who live primarily in and around the Dali region, Yunnan Province, also celebrate the festival.

On this festive occasion, villagers carry lit-up torches around in the field for a bumper harvest. The festival reaches it climax when everybody scatters colophony powder onto the torch fire, which is known as the traditional torch playing. At the end of the festival, people jump over the fire three times and pray to the god of fire for prosperity and good luck.