In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), patriarch Pi Luoge of Mengshe Zhao, (the most powerful among the six tribes in Dali) schemed to annex the other five tribes. On the twenty fourth of the sixth lunar month in the twenty sixth year of the Kaiyuan Period (713-741 A.D.), P Luoge set the pine tower on the fire and the five patriarchs were burnt to death.

Mrs. Benevolence, the wife of the patriarch of Dengdan Zhao had already seen through the evil trick but failed to persuade her husband out of attending the feast, so she put her gold bracelet on his arm, hoping that he could return safely. On hearing the sad news of his death, she rushed to look for his body. She dug the wreckage with her own hands until all the fingers were bleeding. With the help of the gold bracelet, she identified the body of her husband. Women color their fingernails during the festival to show their honors as wives.

After killing Dengdan Zhao, Pi Luoge cast his covetous eyes on Mrs. Benevolence. The battle started at the foot of Cang Mountain and soldiers worked hard to defend the capital city of Dengdan. Mrs. Benevolence asked the soldiers to tie bright torches to the horns of the goats to drive away the herd. The scurrying goats made the whole mountain aglow with flame. Although Mrs. Benevolence and the soldiers tried their best to protect the city, they lost the battle because they did not have enough soldiers. Instead of surrendering, Mrs. Benevolence committed suicide in a well. Subsequently, people light up thousands of torches in the memory of such a virtuous and loyal lady. Now we call it the Torch Festival.

The folktale of the Torch Festival reflected the bravery and indomitable spirit of the Yi and Bai ethnic groups.