In the first month of the first lunar month, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, red lights are hung outside the gate, just waiting for the fifth brother to come to work... This is a famous Shanxi folk song "Fifth Brother Herding Sheep" ", is also a widely circulated classic folk song in Zuoquan County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. Whenever I hear this folk song, it welcomes the lively Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month!
I am an out-and-out Zuoquan girl. My favorite festival is the Lantern Festival in my hometown. Zuoquan celebrates the New Year on the 30th day of the new year. The first day of the lunar month is not lively. The Lantern Festival is on the 15th day of the first lunar month. On the climax, on the fifteenth day, a fire will be built in front of every house. First use bricks to build a platform with air inlets on all sides, and then use honeycomb briquettes to build a tower like a city layer by layer, and use a circle of iron wire to hoop the outside. It is so beautiful and prosperous. Fire means prosperity, good weather, and abundant wealth in the coming year.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, villagers gathered in twos and threes next to each other around the fire, warming themselves up, guessing lantern riddles, watching the fireworks, and admiring the wonderful performances of our little flower play and Shehuo Parade.
Zuoquan Xiaohua Opera is a performance form with singing and dancing and a certain storyline. During the Anti-Japanese War, after "Liao County" was renamed "Zuoquan County", the title "Wenshehuo" was gradually replaced by "Xiaohua Opera". The performances of "Wushehuo" were lion dance, dragon lantern and so on. Art comes from life, but is higher than life. Every year during the Lantern Festival, villagers will adapt folk songs and small flower operas based on various new things that happen in the local area. After the civil and military social fire parades are completed in the streets and alleys, the small flower operas will be shown to the villagers on the stage in the village. The style of "Zuo Quan Xiaohua Opera"! The fan is a typical prop of Zuoquan's Xiaohua Opera. Without the fan, it cannot be called "Zuoquan's Xiaohua Opera". The colorful fan dances like a beautiful butterfly. This colorful performance form has greatly enriched the expressive power of villagers' folk dance. Nowadays, Zuoquan County has been named the National Home of Art for this reason. In 2014, Zuoquan County was declared as one of the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage.
The picture below is a photo of me and my sister in front of our home when I was 10 years old. Behind us were red lanterns and a fire. Although the photo is blurry, I still remember it clearly. During the Lantern Festival when I was a child, my sister would put on my makeup early every year and tie me into two beautiful braids. She would hold the fan that I used to perform the little flower show in her hand. We were so happy at that time, so unparalleled. It's a pity that the photo of me wearing the little flower costume has not been saved to this day. Recalling the joy that our little flower show presented to the folks on the stage, it seems to me now that we are not performing, but immersing ourselves in this passionate melody with our heart and love, from the folks. In their smiles, I see the confidence and happiness of today's left-right people.
The Lantern Festival in my hometown left me with something profound, beautiful, and worth remembering for a lifetime!