Quanzhou lanterns with lanterns

Lantern Festival is also called "Lantern Festival" and "Lantern Festival". Every family puts lanterns and makes colorful lanterns. "Light" and "Ding" in spring are homophonic, meaning to pray for prosperity and welcome the light.

The earliest historical record of the Lantern Festival began with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty proclaimed himself emperor after putting down the "Zhulv Rebellion", which happened to be the 15th day of the first lunar month. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty happened to meet folk lights when he went out to visit Taiyi (a prominent god he believed in at that time). Therefore, the fifteenth day of the first month is designated as "Lantern Festival", which means to have fun with the people.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (7 13-74 1), the Shang Dynasty turned on the lights for three nights (13 to 15). The activities of Shangyuan are all in the evening, so they are called Yuanye, Yuanxi and Yuanxiao. The main scenery of the festival is "Lantern Festival", so it is also called "Lantern Festival".

The Lantern Festival in Quanzhou began in the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the gentry went south and brought the custom of playing lanterns to Quanzhou.

Quanzhou's "Lantern Festival" reached its peak in the Song Dynasty, and it was the best in the world, forming a "top-grade Lantern Festival". There is a saying that "spring is better than a hundred flowers, and Yuan Xi points to the whole hall of Watson". Especially in the Southern Song Dynasty, Zong Zheng Division was established in Quanzhou to manage more than 3,000 imperial relatives who settled in Quanzhou. They set off lanterns in imitation of Lin 'an, and the activities of Shangyuan were lively and spectacular. Song Dynasty's "Five Miscellanies" is famous for: "The world is full of lights, and there is no other place than Fujian." Even the lights in Hangzhou, the capital, were commissioned by Quanzhou Prefecture and Nan 'an Prefecture.

The contents of Quanzhou lanterns are mainly landscapes, historical figures, birds and beasts, pavilions and pavilions. The main categories are lanterns, lotus lanterns and lotus lanterns. The most distinctive features of Quanzhou are "boneless lamp" and "steel wire lamp". Among them, the "boneless lamp" was originally created in Quanzhou and directly connected with hard paper, which is different from the practice of using bamboo as the skeleton of general lamps. The "steel wire lamp" is transparent on all sides and hollow. After lighting the lamp, the whole lamp is transparent.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Chen's Chronology of Wenling and Chronology of Shangyuan: ... Shangyuan Lantern-the people in the city make lanterns for sale, or use five-color paper, silk or grass to make flowers, insects and fish, and burn them with treasure torches, which are lifelike and commonly known as ancient lanterns. Heng made a lantern market in front of Shuangmen on the west side of the government. ..... Therefore, Tong Xie Qiu Jiashu's "Lantern on the Yuan Dynasty" says: It changes every year, and it is strange to hear that ancient lamps are sold. "

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Chen's Chronology of Wenling and Chronology of Shangyuan: ... Dragon-a person who preaches goodness, made a golden dragon lantern and burned a wax torch with a few feet of green yarn at night, and a dozen people danced with it, bent down and circled, and scaled. Guide the ball and follow it up and down. Also, playing drums, playing the flute, playing football with children and visiting the market. "

Hanging lamp:

On the eve of Lantern Festival, most people hang lanterns or big red lights in front of their homes and shops to set off the festive atmosphere. Give birth to a boy's home, make or buy lanterns to hang in temples and ancestral halls to show "adding Ding"; Some Dehua people want to slaughter a rooster and add a basket of white scorpions to worship their ancestors.

Send a lamp:

For daughters who get married during the year, parents should buy hydrangea lanterns or lotus lanterns before the festival and send a pair of boys to their son-in-law's house to pray for "marriage" as soon as possible; For those who have no boys after marriage, the bride's family is used to sending "Guanyin to send lanterns", which is called "sending lanterns".

Chen's Chronology of Wenling and Chronology of Shangyuan in the late Qing Dynasty: ... Shangyuan Lantern ... If there is a newly married woman, the woman's family must buy a pair of Bai Furong lanterns and send them to her husband's family. This kind of cloud bodes well for men. ..... Zhang Bingyun Wen: The most important thing is that the woman's family is busy seeing off guests, and she is lucky enough to buy a white lotus lamp. "

Enjoy this lamp:

At midnight, men, women and children flocked to the street to enjoy the lanterns.

Wandering lights:

At midnight snack, children carry spring lanterns, light candles, go door to door, form a lantern parade, and stroll around the lanterns.

Out of the lamp (grab the lamp):

The spring language "light" is homophonic with "Ding", and "light" means "Ding", which means that people are prosperous.

The child accidentally burned the lamp when swimming, which is "outside the lamp". If the red light is burned, it means that a girl has been born; A white light indicates that it is a boy.

Being robbed of light is also "light extinction". In ancient times, during the Lantern Festival, the rich formed a "lantern-walking clan", while the poor who had no money to buy lanterns became a "lantern-grabbing clan". On the street with lanterns, the poor with empty hands laughed at the rich with lanterns with songs: "plum lanterns are not fragrant;" Officer knife lamp, stir the toilet ... "Then rushed up to grab the rich man's lamp, and the robbed rich man was not angry but in high spirits.

Solve the riddle on the lantern:

Solve riddles on the lanterns is another fun to visit the Lantern Festival. Put the riddle on the lamp for people to guess while enjoying the lamp. The winner will get a prize from the owner.

Nan 'an Taoyuan Shangyuan Lantern:

In the first year of Tang Wuze's tianchang visit (700 years), Quanzhou began to build cities. At that time, the urban area was small, and the lantern activities in Shangyuan could not be compared with those in northern cities. As for folk spontaneous lighting, which has a long history and continues to this day, Nanan Fengzhou Taoyuan should be the first in Fujian.

Taoyuan Shangyuan is famous for its lighting lamps. In the first year of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (880), Fu (see "Quanzhou People's Directory") recruited troops from Chang 'an to defend Quanzhou with a mighty army. Because of his political achievements, he gave Fu Yinshi a ribbon of Yin Qing and awarded the title of Dr. Yin Qing Guanglu to proofread Shangshu Zuofushe (equivalent to the prime minister). Fu Shiyuan built his mansion at the southern foot of Fengshan, outside the east gate of Quanzhou, and hired the fifth granddaughter of Ziyun Huang Shougong (see Quanzhou people's directory) as his concubine. In the first year of Emperor Xuanzong's Guangqi (885), Sejong Fu built Gu 'an Gongde Academy (namely Quanzhou Dongchan Shaolin Temple) and led troops to rebuild the mansion in Fengzhou, Nan 'an (now the Fu's Grand Ancestral Hall). To show his loyalty to the imperial court, Emperor Taizong built statues of Li Shimin, Cheng, Weichi Gong and Qin. Every morning, I worship in accordance with the instrument and never stop. Shangyuan also followed the lighting ceremony in Chang 'an, wishing the son of heaven and the people happiness forever. This is the beginning of Shangyuan Lighting in Taoyuan.

After Fu married his wife Huang, before the Lantern Festival the following year, Huang's parents sent a pair of red and white lotus lanterns because they loved this daughter the most, wishing you an early birth and a happy family. Since then, the lamp has been sent to the south in spring for the first time.

From then on, during the Shang Dynasty, people surnamed Fu lit lamps in the Tang Palace and the Grand Ancestral Hall, which became a custom every year.

In the 29th year of Jiajing of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty (1550), Fu (refer to "Quanzhou People's Directory Fu") participated in the Kyoto High School (the first scholar) and was awarded an official position, winning honor for Quanzhou Prefecture, Nan 'an County and Henan Province. Wu Zhi, the magistrate of Nan 'an County, gave a eulogy: "The name of Quanshan is unparalleled; The first article in Nanxun. " The next year, in Shangyuan, the people of the Fu family held a large lantern festival with great joy, and thousands of people from more than a dozen nearby villages actively participated. Thousands of lanterns are hung inside and outside the Fu's Ancestral Hall and Tang Palace, and on both sides of the street. They are brightly lit, and the moon is in the sky, which is very lively.

During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the astrologer of the imperial court told the emperor: "On the night of Shangyuan, the white ape star in the sky will be reincarnated, and it is in the south." There is no windtight wall. Fu Xiaqi then discussed with relatives that the grand occasion of the Lantern Festival attracted the white ape star to come down to earth for reincarnation. Yanshan Huang also took part in the competition, and went all out to do his best. But there are bucket lights, orange lights, hundred flowers lights, pagoda lights, wishful lights, hairpin lights, hydrangea lights, silk lights, lobster lights, walking lights, cake-moistening lights, white rabbit lights, rooster lights, annual surplus lights, carp pearl-spitting lights, Shuanglong pearl-catching lights, dragons and phoenixes, and fairies.

Red couplets are flashing on the dragon column in front of the Tang Palace: "In the past twenty years, you, Ming and Chen have been loyal to the prosperous times; Three hundred years later, the country is peaceful and the people are safe. "There are hundreds of palace lanterns in the palace, which vary in size and are exquisite and brilliant. The dazzling couplet in front of Fu's Grand Ancestral Hall: "Orchestral strings ring, people come to Jinwu night;" "Snuff is everywhere, as well as Yuan Chun in the north corner of Xi. "Tang Zhu:" Every prosperous time, living and working in peace and contentment, is a paradise in Taoyuan; Celebrating the Lantern Festival has a long history and has become a folk custom in Liu Yi. "There are four clusters of lanterns in the main hall, mainly palace lanterns, surrounded by red and white lotus flowers.

There are three treasures placed at the ceremony: one is the Shang Dynasty funerary wares given to Ma by Queen Song (see Quanzhou People's Directory Fucha) (things that are easy to fall over can be placed on the right seat as a warning), the other is the jade ruyi held by Song Dafu, and the third is the jade mandarin duck. The cage below the hall is blowing and playing, beaming. On the square in front of the ancestral hall, there are performances in the pear garden, singing in Nanyin, dancing lions and playing football. Aoshan is surrounded by brocade and fringed; The drums are ringing inside, the bells are ringing outside, and the lights are three layers, which is dazzling. There are pavilions and pavilions on Aoshan Mountain, and there are drama characters with clockwork hidden, who can perform some actions under the light. It can be seen that the regulation of lanterns at that time was magnificent and superb.

It is worth mentioning that the master carefully arranged for Fu's daughter-in-law to "drill the lamp feet" on the night of Lantern Festival, which was unprecedented in the Yuan Dynasty. A newly married woman in Shipan, Taoyuan, was reincarnated by the white ape star and gave birth to Fu. Tomorrow, in the second year (1622), he was awarded the Imperial Examination of Henan Road and Douchayuan of Shaanxi Province. This is the origin of "drilling lamp feet" of Shangyuan Lantern Festival in southern Fujian.

Nan 'an Du Ying Lantern (string lamp):

Lantern Festival is a unique activity in Du Ying Town, Nan 'an County, which started on the ninth day of the first month.

The British capital has a long history of "lights out". During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Maritime Silk Road started from Quanzhou Port. Every year in the rainy season in Xia Dong, officials from the Quanzhou County Chief and the municipal shipping department lead foreign businessmen to hold a grand ceremony of praying for the wind at Xiazhaohui Temple in Jiuri Mountain, which is very popular. There are sea temples in Quanzhou coastal ports and inland river docks, and Du Ying Zhao Hui Temple is one of them. Yingxi River twists and turns, and boatmen use barges to transport Du Ying's grain, silk, firewood, tea and dried bamboo shoots to Quanzhou. In order to pray for smooth shipping, the boatmen all went to the Du Ying Pier to worship. Usually, sailing against the current requires pulling fibers, commonly known as "pulling the boat." Every year in Du Ying's Zhao Hui Temple, villagers combine rowing upstream with celebrating the Lantern Festival, forming a folk entertainment activity of "pulling lanterns".

Prepare a few special thick long ropes in advance, and bring all kinds of lanterns to every household. Each lantern is about two feet apart and hung on a rope. Each lantern can hang dozens or even hundreds of lanterns, which is called "one explosion". Several of them formed several arrays, choosing a man with a wild figure as the leader, fighting two big fires in front and marching side by side to take the lead. Dozens of people behind them clung to the light rope and shouted to keep up, vividly reappearing the spectacular scene of Yingxi boatman struggling against the current when pulling optical fiber.

There are usually more than ten "arrays", many of which are about twenty. In the "array", "big lecture", "flower drum singing opera", "car encouragement", "Nanyin Sixian" and costume drama are mixed together, and firecrackers, sparks and fireworks are constantly on the doorstep of every household, pushing the festive atmosphere to a climax.

The "lantern-pulling" team started from Zhao Hui Temple in Xu Ying Street, passed Houdian in Anhou Lane and went up the mountain along the north side of Rongshan Mountain. Between the lamp array and the ridge, the leading two dazzling torches are sometimes held high and sometimes put down, and the lanterns at the back are wrapped around the mountain wall and reflected in two large pools at the entrance of the East and West Xuan of Wugong Temple. Water and sky set each other off, lights flashed, colorful and brilliant.

Jin Jiangdong Stone Palace Lantern:

Every Lantern Festival in Shidong Town, Jinjiang, all newly-married young people hang the palace lanterns of the bride's dowry in Jiaying Temple (also known as Jiulong Sangong), which was built in the Ming Dynasty. It starts on the 13th night of the first month and lasts for three nights. Men, women and children gather in the temple to enjoy colorful palace lanterns, or solve riddles on the lanterns, or listen to Nanqu oratorios. When enjoying lanterns, people will count the number of palace lanterns this year and calculate how many people have been added locally. "Deng" and "Ding" are homophones in Minnan dialect. Most Dongshimen go to sea all the year round. By counting the palace lanterns, navigators who go home during the Spring Festival can know the population of their hometown.

Dongshi people who came to Taiwan Province Province in their early years also brought the customs of their hometown to Buzaizui, Taiwan Province Province. There are also three palaces in Taiwan Province Province. During the Lantern Festival, local residents will also hang palace lanterns in the palace. Not only that, in the past, every year during the Lantern Festival, villagers in Taiwan Province Province would specially rush back to the Lantern Festival to report the number of palace lanterns in Taiwan Province Province that year, bring back the figures from their hometown, and report to each other on the development of the descendants of Fujian and Taiwan. This custom remained until the founding of New China.

Anxi Lantian oil lamp dragon

On the 15th day of the first month every year, there will be a "Lantern Dragon" in Hou Qing Village, Lantian Township, Anxi County. Its custom originated from the folk "centipede play" on the grass platform in southern Fujian in Yuan Dynasty (lost). It gathers the manpower and material resources of the whole village to celebrate the festival, which has become the best way for people to solve contradictions and promote neighborhood exchanges and harmony.

The lantern dragon started at eight o'clock that night. The village has prepared a dragon head and a dragon tail. Men, women and children in the village have prepared lanterns to form dragons. As the number of participants increased, lanterns gradually merged into a "lantern dragon". There is only one lantern dragon in the village. The longer the lantern dragon is, the more prosperous the villagers are. Activities usually last one and a half hours. After going door to door, the villagers will go to the temporary stage set up in the village open space to watch the Gaojia opera.