The Lantern Festival is approaching, and various cultural and entertainment venues and public gathering places will hold various colorful activities. Citizens must grasp the scale when entertaining and carnivaling, pay special attention to the safety of personal and property, and obey the on-site regulations Under the command of the personnel on duty, avoid crowding and stampedes. Below, the editor of SmartView will introduce to you some safety precautions during the Lantern Festival. Everyone is welcome to read.
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Safety precautions during the Lantern Festival:
1. With the arrival of the Lantern Festival, there will be a peak number of people gathering to drink in entertainment venues and hotels. The illegal behavior of drunk driving has a very serious harm to road traffic safety. The police remind drivers: Don’t drink while driving, and don’t drive after drinking.
2. During the Lantern Festival, most citizens choose to go out to party and enjoy the lanterns. No one is at home, which provides an opportunity for the criminal law. Police reminder: Before going out, be sure to check whether all windows and security doors in your home are locked, and pay special attention to whether the kitchen and bathroom are secure. Avoid keeping large amounts of cash at home. Passbooks, ID cards and other documents should be stored separately.
3. During the Lantern Festival, various activities will reach their peak. In order to enhance the atmosphere, some businesses will use a large number of colorful lights and flammable materials for decoration, burying many fire and other disaster factors. Don’t forget about fire protection. If a fire breaks out during the festival, you should dial 119 or 110 to call the police in time.
4. Citizens should enter and exit in an orderly manner when entertaining in venues to avoid crowding and chaos. They should pay attention to observing the situation at the event site and identify warning signs to be aware of it; they should consciously understand the surrounding safety passages and the locations of entrances and exits. When you see danger warning signs, do not approach or touch them; when encountering local crowds, do not be curious to join in the fun to avoid crowding and stampedes; when encountering emergencies, please obey the instructions and evacuate in an orderly manner.
5. Some citizens often gather in bars, KTVs and other entertainment venues to drink and "revel". In order to prevent the occurrence of drunken trouble and injury cases, the general public, especially young people, must control their drinking and calm down when encountering disputes. Don't be aggressive in dealing with it to avoid serious consequences.
6. The large flow of people in various cultural and entertainment venues and public gathering places also provides "convenience" to thieves. The police remind citizens to take good care of their personal belongings when having fun, and try to keep valuables at home or in stores to avoid losses.
Fire safety precautions during the Lantern Festival:
1. As the Lantern Festival is approaching, citizens are advised not to set off fireworks, firecrackers and Kongming lanterns.
2. Various fire prevention and fire-extinguishing measures and safe evacuation plans should be implemented for large-scale Lantern Festival lantern festival activities.
3. During the Lantern Festival, when businesses use various lighting, decorative lights and other lamps, they should try not to be close to combustible materials to prevent fire accidents.
4. Pay attention to fire safety when burning incense and praying for blessings during the Lantern Festival, and be sure not to cause a fire due to careless use of fire.
5. When encountering a fire, call 119 as soon as possible. When escaping, be calm and calm, and choose the correct escape route; when encountering a fire in a public gathering place, you should evacuate according to the guidance of the staff and do not blindly follow the trend. , crowd each other to avoid crushing and stampeding accidents.
6. During the Lantern Festival, there are many folk customs and festivals, and the streets are crowded with people. Please refrain from spreading rumors and avoid stampede accidents when participating in the activities.
7. If your body is on fire, you can roll on the spot or cover it with heavy clothes to extinguish the flames.
8. If there is a fire and the door is sealed and it is impossible to escape, soaked towels and clothes can be used to block the cracks in the door, send out a distress signal, and wait for rescue.
Customs of the Lantern Festival
1. Eating "Yuanxiao" on the Lantern Festival
Eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is a long-standing custom in China. Yuanxiao is "Tangyuan" has different ingredients and flavors, but the meaning of eating Yuanxiao is the same. It represents reunion, harmony and beauty, and the days are getting more and more prosperous. There is a saying that harmony brings wealth. Family harmony and family reunion are so important factors for a complete family. Therefore, you must eat "Yuanxiao" with your family during the Lantern Festival.
Yuanxiao, like rice cakes during the Spring Festival and rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, are all holiday foods. Eating Yuanxiao symbolizes family reunion like the full moon, and expresses people's good wishes for future life. Yuanxiao is called "tangyuan", "yuanzi", "water yuan", "tangyuanzi", "floating yuanzi" and "lactose yuanzi". Businessmen euphemistically call it "yuanbao", which is made of glutinous rice, either solid or with fillings. The fillings include bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, etc., and can be boiled, fried, steamed or fried.
No matter the south or the north, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, families will gather together to eat Yuanxiao. The food name "Yuanxiao" is said to have appeared in the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty because people were accustomed to eating it on the night of the Lantern Festival. Shangyuan Night is the first full-moon night in the New Year. "The bright moon is the first full moon of the year." A full moon shines brightly in the sky, and people gather to eat the Lantern Festival, which is shaped like a full moon. It has a very subtle relationship with the natural celestial phenomena. Correspondence. "The stars and moon are in the sky and thousands of candles are burning, and there are two Lantern Festivals in the world and the sky" expresses people's happy mood of family reunion.
Speaking of glutinous rice balls, there is another anecdote in modern history. It is said that when Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor, he was opposed by the whole country. Those who flattered him quoted the "Baling County Chronicle" and said that "Yuan and Yuan have the same language and have complete meanings." They said that "Yuanxiao" is a homophonic word for "Yuan Xiao", which is a curse. Yuan listened to his words and ordered that "Yuanxiao" should all be called glutinous rice balls. But this legend has never found any written basis. After Yuan Shikai's fall, most areas restored the name "Yuanxiao".
2. "Send lanterns" during the Lantern Festival
"Send lanterns" is simply called "send lanterns", and its essential meaning is to give lanterns to children. That is, before the Lantern Festival, the natal family sends lanterns to the newly married daughter's family, or ordinary relatives and friends send them to the newly married infertile family, in order to bring good luck to the family, because "Leng" and "Ding" are homophonic. It expresses the hope that the daughter will have good luck after marriage and give birth to a son soon; if the daughter is pregnant, in addition to the big palace lanterns, one or two pairs of small lanterns will also be given to wish the daughter a safe pregnancy.
3. Playing with dragon lanterns during the Lantern Festival
The dragon is the totem of China. The Chinese nation respects the dragon and regards it as a symbol of auspiciousness. The dragon lantern dance on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and the festive atmosphere of singing and dancing are spread in many places.
"Dragon lantern playing" is also called "dragon dance", also called "dragon lantern dance". It is a unique traditional folk entertainment activity in my country. "Playing with dragon lanterns" has been quite common among Chinese people since the Han Dynasty. In the "Shehuo" and "Dance Team" performances during the Tang and Song Dynasties, "playing with dragon lanterns" has become a common performance form. There are two types of performances of "Dragon Lantern Playing": "Single Dragon Playing with Pearl" and "Double Dragon Playing with Pearl". In terms of playing methods, different places have different styles and characteristics.
In artistic creation, through the continuous processing and creation of folk artists, "dragon lantern dancing" has developed into a folk dance art with perfect form, considerable performance skills and romantic color, which is deeply loved by the majority of people. The people loved it.
4. Lantern Festival Lion Dance
Lion dance, also known as "lion dance", "lion lantern" and "lion dance", is mostly performed at New Year's Day and festive events. The lion is an auspicious animal in the eyes of the Chinese people, symbolizing good luck and good fortune. Therefore, in the lion dance activities, it entrusts the people's good wishes to eliminate disasters and seek good luck.
Lion dance is an excellent folk art in my country. During the Lantern Festival or gatherings and celebrations, people come to celebrate with lion dance. This custom originated during the Three Kingdoms period and became popular during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It has a history of more than a thousand years. According to legend, it was first introduced from the Western Regions. The lion is the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva. With the introduction of Buddhism to China, lion dance activities were also introduced to China. The lion was a tribute brought back together with the peacock and others after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions. However, the skill of lion dance is derived from the "masquerade" of Xiliang. Some people believe that lion dance originated from the army in the fifth century and was later introduced to the people. Both statements have their own basis, and today it is difficult to judge whether they are right or wrong. However, in the Tang Dynasty, lion dance had become a popular activity in the palace, the military, and among the people. It is said in "Yuefu Zaxun" by Duan'an Festival of the Tang Dynasty: "There are five lions in the play, more than ten feet tall, each dressed in five colors. Each lion has twelve people, wearing red foreheads, painted clothes, and holding red whisks. It is called The lion man dances to peaceful music." The poet Bai Juyi vividly describes this in his poem "Xiliang Ji": "Xiliang Ji, Xiliang Ji, a disguised barbarian with a fake lion's head and silk tail, and a gold-plated head. The eyes are as silver as the teeth, and the ears are as if they have traveled thousands of miles from quicksand." The poem describes the scene of the lion dance at that time.
In the development process of more than a thousand years, lion dance has formed two performance styles, northern and southern. The Northern Lion Dance mainly focuses on the performance of "Martial Lion", which is the "Auspicious Lion" of the Northern Wei Dynasty designated by Emperor Wu of Wei Dynasty.
The small lion dances by one person, and the big lion dances by two people. One person stands and dances the lion's head, and the other bends down and dances the lion's body and tail. The lion dancer wears a lion quilt all over his body, and wears green lion pants and gold-clawed boots with the same coat color as the lion's body. People cannot identify the shape of the lion dancer. Its appearance is very similar to a real lion. The lion leader is dressed as an ancient warrior, holding a rotating hydrangea in his hand, accompanied by gongs, drums and cymbals to lure the auspicious lion. Under the guidance of the "Lion Man", the lions perform tricks such as flipping, falling, jumping, climbing, and worshiping. They also perform difficult actions such as walking on plum blossom piles, jumping around tables, and stepping on rolling balls. The Southern Lion Dance mainly focuses on "literary lion" performances. The performance pays attention to expressions, including tickling, hair shaking, licking and other movements, which are lifelike and cute. It also has more difficult skills such as spitting balls. Nanshi is centered in Guangdong, and is popular in Hong Kong, Macao, and the hometowns of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. Although the Southern Lion Dance is also a duet dance, the lion dancer wears bloomers and only a colorful lion quilt on top. Different from the Northern Lion, the "Lion Man" wears a big-headed Buddha mask, a robe, and a colorful belt around his waist. He holds a sunflower fan in his hand and teases the lion, and uses it to dance various graceful moves with funny and humorous movements. There are many schools of southern lions, including the "Chicken-Gong Lion" from Qingyuan and Yingde, the "Big-headed Lion" from Guangzhou and Foshan, the "Duck-billed Lion" from Gaohe and Zhongshan, and the "Qilin Lion" from Dongguan, etc. In addition to their different appearances, Southern Lions also have different personalities. The dance of the white-bearded lion is not wide-ranging, and there are not many varieties of colors, but it is calm, vigorous, majestic and powerful, and is known as the "Liu Bei Lion" among the people. The black-bearded red-faced lion, known as the "Guan Gong Lion", dances bravely and majesticly, with extraordinary spirit. The lion with gray beard and rough and warlike movements is commonly known as "Zhang Fei Lion". The lion is the king of beasts, with a majestic and mighty image, giving people a sense of majesty and bravery. The ancients regarded it as a symbol of bravery and strength, believing that it could exorcise evil spirits, suppress demons, and protect humans and animals. Therefore, people gradually formed the custom of lion dancing during the Lantern Festival and other major events to pray for good luck and peace in life.
5. Guessing lantern riddles during the Lantern Festival
Every Lantern Festival, lantern riddles are played in various places. I hope this year will be joyful and safe. Because riddles can inspire wisdom and are interesting, they are very popular among all walks of life in the process of spreading. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, various juggling skills began to appear in the lantern market. In the lantern markets of the Ming and Qing dynasties, in addition to lantern riddles and opera songs and dances, opera performances were also added.
Guessing lantern riddles is a fun entertainment activity. Lantern riddles originated from the lingo of the Western Han Dynasty and later developed into folk riddles, also called "playing lantern riddles".
According to records, in the Southern Song Dynasty, guessing lantern riddles has become a way of playing the Lantern Festival. Zhou Mi of the Southern Song Dynasty said in "Old Wulin Events": "Some people used silk lamps to cut poems, sometimes to express ridicule, and to draw figures, hidden words, and old Beijing idioms to tease passers-by." This "hidden language" is riddle. In the beginning, good people wrote riddles on slips of paper and pasted them on colorful lanterns for people to guess, which were called lantern riddles. Riddles are very popular because they can enlighten wisdom and are interesting.
The lantern riddles produced by our country's folk are numerous and ever-changing. People sometimes use the phrase "difficult to hunt like a tiger" to describe riddles that are difficult to guess, so "lantern riddles" are also called "lantern tigers". Among them, the riddles that use sentences are called "Wenhu", and the riddles that use poems are called "poetry tigers" , guessing the riddle is called "shooting the tiger" or "beating the tiger". Riddles are pasted on lanterns for people to guess. Most of the answers focus on the meaning of the words, and there are 24 types of riddles. Commonly used ones include roller blinds, swings, phoenixes, etc., which has formed a unique folk culture.
The culture of lantern riddles is still popular, especially during the Lantern Festival. In many places, lantern riddles are hung in busy streets for people to guess, making the festival atmosphere even more lively. Nowadays, folk riddles are no longer limited to the Lantern Festival. In some places, friends will also guess lantern riddles for a while when they get together. Riddles have become a form of daily cultural entertainment for people.
6. Lantern Festival Stilt Walking
Stilt walking festivals are usually organized spontaneously by the masses. People start walking on the streets on the 11th and 12th of the first lunar month, which means to tell people to sign up for this year among the many folk flower parties. The festival officially takes to the streets on the 15th day of the first lunar month and ends on the 18th day of the lunar month.
Walking on stilts is a popular folk performance. Stilts are one of the ancient Chinese operas and have appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. The earliest introduction to stilts in my country is from the chapter "Liezi·Shuofu": "There was Lanzi in the Song Dynasty, who used his skills to do the Song and Yuan Dynasties. In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, he called people to see his skills. He used double branches to be twice as long as his body.
It belongs to his shin , running together, jumping with seven swords one after another, five swords are always in the air, Yuanjun was shocked, and immediately gave him gold and silk. "It can be seen from the text that stilts have been popular as early as more than 500 BC. Performers not only walk with long wooden legs tied to their feet, but can also jump and dance with swords. There are three types of stilts: stilts, medium stilts and running stilts, with the tallest being more than one foot tall. According to records in ancient books, ancient stilts were all made of wood. A support point was made in the middle of the planed wooden stick to place the feet, and then tied to the legs with ropes. The performers stand on stilts and can perform sword dance, splits, bench jumping, table crossing, Yangko dance and other actions. In the northern stilt yangko, the characters played include fisherman, matchmaker, silly young man, second brother, Taoist nun, monk, etc. The performers look funny and arouse great interest in the audience. The stilts in the south mostly play roles in operas, including Guan Gong, Zhang Fei, Lu Dongbin, He Xiangu, Zhang Sheng, matchmaker, Jigong, gods, and clowns. They performed and sang at the same time, lively, laughing and having fun, as if they were walking on flat ground. It is said that walking on stilts was originally a stilt activity developed by ancient people who tied two long sticks to their legs in order to collect wild fruits from trees for food.
7. Offer sacrifices to doors and households during the Lantern Festival
In ancient times, there were "seven sacrifices", and these are two of them. The method of offering sacrifices is to insert poplar branches above the door, insert a pair of chopsticks into the bowl of bean porridge, or place wine and meat directly in front of the door.
8. Get rid of all diseases during the Lantern Festival
"Walk all diseases", also called "Walk all diseases", disperse all diseases, roast all diseases, walk on a bridge, etc., is a way to eliminate disasters Activities to pray for health. On the night of the Lantern Festival, women meet to go out together, walking together and crossing bridges whenever they see them, believing that this can cure diseases and prolong life.
In addition to celebrations, the Lantern Festival also has religious activities. That is "walking all diseases", also known as "roasting all diseases" and "dispersing all diseases". Most of the participants are women. They walk together or walk along walls, or cross bridges and walk in the suburbs, with the purpose of driving away diseases and disasters.
As time goes by, more and more activities are held during the Lantern Festival. Many local festivals include dragon lantern dancing, lion dancing, stilt walking, land boating, Yangko dancing, and peace drum playing.
There are also some little-known folk activities that have been lost during the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Here are two or three.
In ancient times, there were "seven sacrifices" for door sacrifices and household sacrifices, and these are two of them. The method of offering sacrifices is very simple: insert a poplar branch above the door, insert a pair of chopsticks into a bowl of bean porridge, or place wine and meat directly in front of the door.
9. Welcome Zigu
Zigu is also called Qigu. In the north, she is often called toilet aunt and pit third aunt. Ancient folk customs include offering sacrifices to Zigu, the toilet god, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, fortune-telling about sericulture, and fortune telling. Every night on the day when Zigu is welcomed, people tie up a life-size portrait of Zigu with straw, cloth, etc., and worship her in the pig pen in the toilet room at night.
Zi Gu is a kind and poor girl in folklore. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Zi Gu died of poverty. The people sympathized with her and missed her. In some places, the custom of "welcoming Zigu on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month" appeared.
Every night on this day, people use straw, cloth, etc. to tie up a life-size portrait of Zigu. The women stood near the toilet, pigsty and kitchen where Zigu often worked to greet her. They held her hand like a biological sister, said caring words to her, and comforted her with tears. The scene was very vivid and real. It reflects the thoughts and feelings of the working people who are kind, loyal and sympathetic to the weak.
10. Rat chasing
The rat chasing is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Silkworm farmers cook a large pot of sticky porridge on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and some even cover it with a layer of meat. The porridge is served in a bowl and placed on the ceiling, in a corner where mice are infested, or in the mouth while eating. While muttering something, he cursed the rat to die miserably if it ate silkworm babies. Legend has it that if you do this, this year's mice will not eat silkworm babies.
This activity is mainly for people who raise silkworms. Because mice often eat large tracts of silkworms at night, people heard that if you feed the mouse rice porridge on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, it will stop eating silkworms. So on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, these people cooked a big pot of sticky porridge, and some even covered it with a layer of meat. They served the porridge in a bowl and put it on the ceiling, corner, or in their mouth where rats were infested. While muttering something, he cursed the rat to die miserably if it ate silkworm babies.