Loud gongs, drums and lanterns
Author: Yu Shengren Date: February 7, 2008 Source: Xinmin Evening News
Before the sound of gongs and drums and the melody of lanterns are over, Ningbo people have a unique entertainment in festivals, that is, beating gongs and drums and singing lanterns. Some shops or families have gongs and drums, and let the boys fight during the Chinese New Year. "Winter cuts winter, winter cuts winter", beating gongs and drums and singing lanterns. Lantern originated in Ningbo and is popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. It has a history of 100 years since the late Qing Dynasty. It is said that it originated from Back to Folk Songs. During the slack season of the Spring Festival, farmers organize lantern festivals, wrap paper lanterns around their waists, beat gongs and drums, sing and dance, and sing while running, which is called "Lantern Festival". The lyrics are written by themselves, which are easy to understand and can be sung along with the editing, including opera, social news, persuading people to be kind, teasing and laughing. Lantern tune four sentences, seven sentences each, with one leading singer. Then everyone sings "Hey Grundang Yo" and then sings the fourth sentence. Dancers, singers, harmonies and audiences are in harmony, which is very lively. I remember a lantern song that advised people to give up drugs. The lyrics are: "Drinking will make you drunk, and eating will make you full. Eating fish and meat tastes good, but killing opium tastes bad! " Then they sang together: "Hey, Grandon, what a terrible smell of opium!" " Of course, this lantern song must be sung in Ningbo dialect to have a taste.