Dragon is a magical animal in ancient legends, and it is the first of all animals. The long feudal society was used to symbolize the emperor, and later people used it to symbolize peace and beauty. Therefore, loving dragons in John Lone and John Lone is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. Playing, dancing and welcoming dragons are people's mass activities to celebrate peace and prosperity, and they are also symbols of rural neighborhood harmony and unity. The custom of welcoming dragons in the lake source began in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
The dragon we welcome belongs to Wolong and consists of a dragon head, a dragon body and a dragon tail. Woven with bamboo chips and bamboo sticks on a 2.5-meter-long wooden board and decorated with paper. The faucet is tall and powerful, with big eyes shining, big ears swinging with the wind, a golden dragon ball in his big mouth, a long beard with five colors and a shiny bun, the cock's claws are extremely sharp, the fish's tail is churning with white waves, the head of the Beastmaster is commanding, the scales are shining all over his body, and his head is covered with phoenixes, peacocks, dragonflies and scarabs … singing and dancing. Candles lit at night are brightly colored, lifelike in shape, high in tap and powerful.
Dragon welcoming activity: Longtou was the second, third and fourth winner of each surname (Deng surname and Chen surname) at the beginning of last year. The dragons they greeted were named Dalong, Erlong and Tail Dragon respectively. Behind every dragon is a dragon body made up of families. Chen and Deng Yingbin's dragons are each composed of three dragons, and Xi Deng and Li's dragon heads and lamp holders belong to the same owner.
The dragon welcoming team is led by bronze bells and drums, followed by lanterns, dragon umbrellas, flutes, erhu, suona, gongs, drums and cymbals, followed by various flower baskets, lanterns and bands. There are two commanders knocking on the gong in front of the faucet, Tai Long and Er Long.
There is a band and a lantern team between the dragons. That night, women, children and old people from the whole town came to watch, and even villagers from Shiliba Township made a special trip to watch the excitement. On both sides of the street, the lights are bright and the gongs and drums are loud; Fireworks, colorful fireworks, lit up the whole sky and decorated the night view of the mountain village with extraordinary beauty and grandeur.
The participants in Youlong are basically young men. They are all wearing sandals, sneakers and scarves around their waists. They hold the dragon board tightly with their hands, their eyes are fixed on the front, and their faces are full of excitement, pride and tension. Youlong is sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and sometimes twisted into a ball ... Not peaceful! Because young people like excitement, aggression and playfulness, people often fall into rivers and fields, get soaked and even covered in mud ... so that everyone is happy and no one will mind.
Youlong's walking route and welcoming lanterns are the same. Every time you go to someone's door along the way, each family will set off fireworks to welcome you, which means you will be very lucky. When Youlong returned to the ancestral temple to worship, many young men and women would compete for the dragon whiskers. When they get home, they will hang their beards on the edge of mosquito nets or at the door of new houses, which means that dragons will have children and add flowers in the coming year. After Youlong, the owner of the dragon head called artists to sing and entertain, and then invited guests to the evening.
Welcome lamp
Flower lanterns are also called "welcoming Ding", which means "celebrating Ding" among the people. In the old society, people had the habit of early marriage and early childbearing, and had the idea of having more children and more happiness, and they preferred sons to daughters. Getting married and having children is a major event in life. During the Spring Festival, relatives and clansmen will come to celebrate and congratulate. Later, the custom of playing lanterns gradually formed. It is said that it began in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Welcoming lanterns is the first important activity during the Spring Festival. It has three meanings: first, it shows the prosperity, unity and harmony of the people of this nation through the spectacular parade to welcome the lights; Secondly, the number of newly-married "sand lanterns" (colored lanterns married by the bride's family) reflects the wealth of the people, that is, how many brides the people have married in a year; Third, through many colorful lanterns, it shows the people's inheritance of traditional culture. Indeed, marching in the street against the light. Beating gongs and drums, playing and singing songs, celebrating and being happy, add to the festive atmosphere of the folk Spring Festival, and at the same time express people's desire for "good weather, peaceful country and people's security" in the new year. The lantern welcoming activity was led by the family of the first male born last year. The lantern welcoming team consists of lamp holders and various groups of "sand lanterns". The first team of lanterns is led by bronze bells and drums, followed by the first lantern, followed by dragon umbrella or dragon ball (the order of the team can't be disorderly), followed by bands and flower basket teams (flower basket, carp lamp, crane lamp, five-star lamp, lantern, airplane lamp, etc.). ). The wedding group of Shadeng is led by bronze bells and drums, connected with Shadeng, followed by the band, followed by the lantern team ... When the motorcade passes by the door, each family will set off fireworks to greet it, symbolizing the meaning of welcoming lanterns, increasing people, making a fortune and being auspicious. After the reception, lantern heads and "sand lanterns" owners will invite folk artists to sing, and then invite guests and relatives to eat and drink until midnight.
Zhu Ying bridge
On the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lantern Festival, there is a custom of holding activities to welcome the candle bridge. Welcoming the candle bridge means wishing the coming year a good weather, peace and prosperity and a rich life. As for determining the specific event undertaker, Chen and Deng have different surnames. Chen drew lots according to his ancestors, and Deng was the oldest. Candle bridge is simple, simple to make, made of wood, bamboo chips and all kinds of floral paper. Five pairs of skeletons shaped like stool feet were installed on a 2.5-meter-long wooden board, and a funnel-shaped light box was pasted with white paper. Candles were inserted in the box, and blessed poems such as "National Peace and Security" and "Prosperity and Prosperity" were arranged around the light box. Or draw flowers, birds, insects and fish that represent good luck. Every two light boxes are decorated with colorful flowers, so a candle bridge is made. At night, people carry their candle bridges to the village head and make hundreds of knots. With the host's command, gongs, drums and firecrackers rang, and the Candle Bridge team walked along the village street. Candlelight flashing, looking from a distance, like a long dragon winding, the scene is very spectacular. Yingzhu Bridge pays special attention to harmony, peace and civilized procession. No one will go down to the fields along the river, which indicates good luck and smoothness. The faces of the boys carrying the candle bridge are filled with happy and relaxed expressions. Wherever the candle bridge goes, it is greeted by fireworks and firecrackers. Everyone prays for longevity, wealth and good luck. After welcoming the guests, the host family in Candler Bridge invited folk artists to sing songs at home, and then gave a banquet to entertain the guests.