Driving for 1 hour, waiting in the rain for 2 hours, experiencing the Eshan Torch Festival

Getting close to a niche ancient city Witnessing a grand festival Some say it rains every year during the Eshan Torch Festival Today, just as we arrived in Eshan by car It started to drizzle in the county town We were glad that the weather wasn't too bad today As it got closer to 20:00 The rain got heavier As the most grand festival of the Yi people The rain only adds humidity to the blessings of the 'New Year' 🗓Itinerary: After entering the county town, turn right and head directly to the main venue of the Torch Festival, the Ethnic Unity Square. Along the way, you can feel the eagerness of people heading towards the square from the car window. It took half an hour to find a parking spot not too far away, and we followed the footsteps of pedestrians to visit several food streets today. The hustle and bustle here exceeded my expectations. The few streets near the main venue of the small county town were almost entirely turned into a world of vendors, with countless food stalls filling several streets, and there were even a few dedicated food streets. Watching local men, women, and children strolling and eating here, it was a lively scene that hadn't been seen in years. After visiting the food streets, we watched the preparation of floats and the welcoming of the fire next to the Chaoyang Gate. Many teams dressed in traditional Yi costumes quietly waited for the fire in the drizzle. It is said that the fire was fetched from a place 2 hours' drive away. We originally wanted to join the fun, but were dissuaded by local friends, as the road conditions were not good and private cars might get scratched. After 19:00, we arrived at the Ethnic Unity Square, which was already densely packed with layers of people. We could only see the tip of a bonfire, and the square was full of waiting crowds. Around 19:40, the outside team brought the fire over. We didn't squeeze into the middle bonfire, but saw the process of the fire being brought in at the entrance, which was quite satisfying. Later, the crowd quickly gathered in the middle of the square, waiting for the lighting of the fire and dancing joyfully around the huge bonfire. The whole process lasted for several hours. There were indeed a lot of people, and the scene was grand, but for safety reasons, we didn't dare to squeeze in too hard. 📍Detailed address: The main venue of the Eshan Torch Festival, Ethnic Unity Square, about 2 kilometers from the highway exit, easy to find with navigation. 📝Tips: If you want to attend the Torch Festival, it's best to book a room in advance, or stay in Yuxi, which is a 40-minute drive away. Parking is really difficult, so go early to find a spot and park early. The city is not big, so you can park and ride a shared bike over, otherwise, it will be a tragedy if you can't find a spot. You can pick and try the local specialties on both sides of the road, avoid the internet-famous foods. There are many delicious foods in Eshan. We went for barbecue at night, taken by local friends. The taste was very good and the price was reasonable.