Nephew plays lanterns and takes photos of uncle's classic prose.

When it comes to the saying "My nephew plays lanterns-according to my uncle (old)", almost all people in China will know it; But if you want to ask the origin of this two-part allegorical saying, I'm afraid it's little known. In fact, this two-part allegorical saying comes from Huaixian County, Hanoi County (now Wuzhi County, Henan Province) in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. What is the cause and effect? You will understand as soon as I say it.

According to the traditional custom in rural areas of Wuzhi County, from the sixth day of the first month to the ninth day (mostly the sixth or ninth day), an uncle will give his nephew two red lanterns and ten candles, which symbolizes the perfection of the yes-man. My uncle usually uses a whole cane to pick lanterns at both ends and carry them on his shoulders to give them to his nephew, indicating that the days after his nephew are getting sweeter and sweeter. If there is no sugarcane, use bamboo poles instead, which means higher and higher. The custom of "sending lanterns" symbolizes a bright future and happiness, so as to express my uncle's heartfelt wishes. On the fifteenth night of the first month, my nephew will respectfully invite my uncle to my nephew's house for dinner to show his gratitude and greet him with lanterns. My nephew walked in front of my uncle with a lantern as a sign of filial piety. So there is a two-part allegorical saying: My nephew plays lanterns-take care of my uncle. When my nephew takes my uncle home, he hangs lanterns on the door to show good luck. As the saying goes, "mother's uncle is older", and uncle's status is very noble. In Wuzhi County, my uncle has a lot of power, and the division of family property, the pension treatment of my nephew's mother and the handling of the aftermath are all decided by my uncle. At the thank-you banquet for the reunion of my nephew and uncle, my nephew kneels three times and knocks nine times before my uncle moves chopsticks.

So, when did this folk custom of playing lanterns to take pictures of my uncle originate? This will start from Huai County, Hanoi County in the early Eastern Han Dynasty.

Liu Xiu fought against Wang Mang in Nanyang, and suffered repeated defeats. Later, a base area was established in Huai county, and Huaigong and Zongmiao temples were built, and workers and officials were set up here to make valuables such as copper coins. As the wartime capital, it was called Huaidu (Luoyang was changed to the capital). Huaidu became the political, economic, cultural, military and handicraft manufacturing center at that time. Taking this as a turning point, Liu Xiucai changed from weak to strong, wiped out wolves and took over the world. Until today, Liu Xiu's remains and stories are still treasured in every corner of the land of Wuzhi.

According to historical records, in August of the first year of Jianwu (AD 25), Emperor Guangwu paid homage to the emperor Liu Bang, Heng and Emperor Wudi in Huaigong, and later entered Luoyang as the capital. In the early days of Jianwu, Huaixian was still the most important military rear base of Liu Xiu. From the first year of Jianwu to the eighth year of Jianwu, Liu Xiu was lucky nine times. Before national reunification, every major military action was carried out here.

During the Jianwu period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Dong Xuan served as a county magistrate in Huai County (now Wuzhi County) for many years. Be honest and upright for the official, enforce the law impartially, be not afraid of power, eliminate violence and be virtuous, punish evil and promote good, and benefit the people. He was praised by the people of Wuzhi for generations. Therefore, many legends and stories of Dong Xuan are still circulated among the people in Wuzhi County. As we all know, the story of Dong Xuan is talked about by people.

According to the Records of the Later Han Dynasty, Dong Xuan was born in Shao Ping and Chenliu County (now Qixian Town, Henan Province). In his early years, he was straightforward and loved to fight against injustice. After becoming an official, he made great achievements and was promoted to Beihai (now Changle County, Shandong Province) in a few years. In Beihai, he was not afraid of power, and executed more than 30 military attaché Gongsun Dan's father and son and their cronies who killed innocent people according to law. Dong Xuan was escorted back to Beijing and sentenced to death on the charge of "brutal officials killing innocent people". Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty, learned that the law enforcement was fair before the execution, and that the murdered Gongsun Dan and others deserved it. So he sent a flying horse to preach the imperial edict, blocked people by the sword, pardoned Dong Xuan, and made him the magistrate of Huaixian County. Later, Dong Xuan was promoted to Luoyang Order. He is not afraid of power and enforces the law like a mountain. He beheaded his beloved footman, who committed a capital crime under the cover of Princess Populus euphratica, the emperor's sister. He was not afraid of being killed by the emperor and refused to bow his head and apologize to the princess. He was praised as an "injunction" by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu. After the death of Dong Xuan, Emperor Guangwu was very sad and sent someone to offer condolences. He saw that Dong Xuan was only covered with a rag quilt, and there was nothing at home except a broken car and several barrels of barley. After listening to the performance, Emperor Guangwu said with emotion: "Dong Xuan is honest and knows death!" Dong Xuan was ordered to be buried as a doctor.

There are more than 200 miles between Luoyang and Huaidu, the capital city, which reach the equator directly, and post stations are set up every 30 miles. The traffic is very fast, and you can go back and forth on the same day. Liu Xiu often came to Huaigong to live and listen to politics, and regularly came to this ancestral temple to worship his ancestors, especially the royal relatives and ministers of civil and military affairs. Some royalty, civil and military officials, relying on their power, run amok in Huaidu city, take advantage of it and make a mess of Huaidu. Local officials turned a deaf ear to this and dared not take care of it. People in the city have grievances and complaints. Liu Xiu learned that the situation was getting worse and worse, and he felt very headache. He was afraid that this would endanger his country, so he appointed Dong Xuan, who was fair in law enforcement and not afraid of power, as the magistrate of Huai County.

As soon as Dong Xuanyi became the magistrate of Huaixian County, he went deep into the people, understood their voices, and posted a general order that "everyone is equal before the law, and the prince and the people are guilty of the same crime". People who violate the law and discipline have suddenly converged a lot, and the social order has improved unprecedentedly. However, some royalty think that this general military order is just a dead letter to them, and they don't pay attention to this small Huaixian county order at all. Yin Guojiu is one of them. Uncle Yin is the younger brother of Queen Yin Lihua, and her sister Yin Lihua loved him very much since she was a child. Because of his meritorious military service, he is also very popular in front of his brother-in-law Liu Xiu. As a result, relying on his power, he bullied men and women and took advantage of loopholes, becoming a notorious "greedy person" in Huaidu City. He loves money as much as his life, only hating that he has no money, so he opened a big casino and tried every means to lure ordinary people to participate in gambling. Big casinos only rely on strength, no profit, and compete for gold every day; Many people who participated in gambling lost everything, attempted to commit suicide and hanged themselves, and their wives and children were separated.

Peter said that there was a family in Huaidu City, headed by Zhao Youcai, who opened a drugstore and was very rich. Married Dong Shi and gave birth to his only son, Zhao Deng. She is seven years old, very smart and lovely, and a family of three lives happily. Unexpectedly, Zhao Youcai was deeply tempted by the big casino "making a windfall and getting rich overnight". The more he gambled, the more he lost, and the deeper he got into it. Not only did he lose everything, but he was heavily in debt and unable to repay it. On the sixth day of the first month, casinos are open for business. Uncle Yin led the casino thugs to force debts, and Zhao Youcai hanged himself. Yin's uncle even spared orphans and widows, claiming that "the father owes the son back" and snatched his son Zhao Deng from his mother's arms to pay his debts. Widow Dong Shi cried for help. It attracted many villagers to watch. The villagers were impressed by the power of Uncle Yin, and everyone was filled with indignation, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

Dong Xuanwei, the magistrate of Huai County, visited privately to observe the people's feelings. He happened to pass by this place. When he heard the noise and the sad cry, he hurried into the room to watch. When he learned the ins and outs of the matter from the onlookers in detail, he also found it difficult to manage. On the one hand, it is the prince's uncle, who holds a high position and is also a county magistrate, and is not under his command at all. Yin's uncle, holding Zhao Youcai's handwritten IOUs and debt repayment commitments, ostensibly swaggered through the city with confidence. On the other side are orphans and widows, in a miserable situation, which is really pitiful. I can't stand it, and I can't ignore it. Dong Xuan was in a rash, at a loss. The villagers talked about Uncle Yin in succession, and the word "uncle" of Uncle Yin was full of ears. Some villagers lamented that Widow Dong was pitiful, and the word "Dong" of Widow Dong began to swirl in their minds. These two words made Dong Xuan suddenly enlightened, used his quick wits and worked hard. Pretending to sing, he squeezed into the middle of the crowd and wailed: "Brother-in-law, brother, I came late, and you died miserably!" While the thugs were stunned and unprepared, he snatched the child Zhao Deng and gave it to the widow Dong. The mobs became angry from embarrassment and came forward to beat Dong Xuan. Dong Xuan stood up and shouted: "I am the county magistrate Dong Xuan, who dares to hit me!" The rioters dare not move any more. Uncle Yin came forward, recognized it, and said, "It's only natural to pay back debts. How to calculate this account? " Dong Xuan grabbed these two documents, and clear voice replied, "Dong Shi is Dong Xuan's sister, and Zhao Deng is my nephew. This account is calculated by Dong Wei. " Uncle Yin couldn't tell the truth from the false for a moment, so he had to perfunctory a few words and angrily led the thugs away.

Widow Dong dragged her to thank her. Dong Xuan said, "We can't get rid of each other. You are my sister, and this child is my nephew. We are like a family. We don't need to thank you. "

Widow Dong is afraid that Uncle Yin will come to collect debts again. Dong Xuan smiled and said, "I have written evidence. Gambling debts is ill-gotten gains. I dare not come again. " Widow Dong doesn't believe it, but she is still in a state of anxiety. On the evening of the sixth day of the first month, I went back to the county government, took my own official lamp and gave it to Zhao. He hung the lantern on Zhao's gate, only to see that the five characters "Huai County magistrate" on the lantern were particularly eye-catching. From then on, no one dared to disturb Widow Dong. Zhao is safe and sound, and Xiao Zhao Deng has a bright future. Such a good thing soon spread throughout Huai County, and people followed suit. All uncles sent lanterns to their nephews on the sixth day of the first month to express their good wishes. When my nephew wants to learn from Xiao Zhao, he will greet his uncle with lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month, and my nephew will walk in front with lanterns to show his special filial piety to his uncle. At the thank-you banquet for my nephew's reunion, my nephew will give my uncle a big gift of kneeling three times and knocking nine times to thank him for his great kindness. Traditionally, the old saying "My nephew plays lanterns-as my uncle says" has been handed down.

This custom spread to Huaigong, and Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu was very interested in it. He thought he was also an uncle, and wanted to get this special filial piety from his nephew, and wanted to order it to be promoted throughout the country. Yin's uncle learned the news from his sister, Queen Yin Lihua, and tried his best to stop making a wise decision. Liu Xiu learned about the origin of this folk custom from many channels, so he severely reprimanded Yin Guojiu and praised Dong Xuan. From then on, Yin's uncle held a grudge and intended to take revenge. After that, Dong Xuan and Yin Guojiu fought in secret for many times, and "Dong Xuanzhi imprisoned Yin Guojiu" (see another article in my mini-novel column on Jiangshan.com, 20 17. 12.23) finally Dong Xuan won. This is another story, and I don't want to show it here. Due to the deception of Queen Yin, the idea of spreading this folk custom to the whole country has not been fully realized. Therefore, this folk custom has been preserved in some places, and it is not popular in some places, but the old saying "My nephew plays lanterns-take care of my uncle" has spread all over the country.

In Wuzhi County of the old society, the folk custom of "My nephew plays lanterns to look after my uncle" is deeply rooted, and everyone, rich or poor, follows it. Poor people, even if my uncle only sends a small paper lantern, have to send it. Even if my nephew invited my uncle to drink a bowl of thin soup, he wouldn't dare not invite him. As for the rich, it will be very ostentatious. Mao Yunxi's family in Wuzhi County in Qing Dynasty is a typical example.

Mao Yunxi, a native of Muluan Hall in Wuzhi County, was born in the 22nd year of Jiaqing (18 17) and died in the 8th year of Guangxu (1882). In the twenty-five years of Daoguang (1845), he was admitted to Jinshi. In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), he was given the title of left vice-capital, and was trained in his hometown. The following year, he served as a bachelor of cabinet. In the first year of Tongzhi (1862), he was awarded the assistant minister of the ritual department, and then transferred the official department and the household department, and was awarded the suggestion of Zuodu. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), he served as the minister of war. Mao Yunxi was an extremely important figure in the late Qing Dynasty, with the same fame as Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Yuan Shikai and Zhang Zhidong, and was deeply trusted by Cixi and Emperor Guangxu.

Mao Yunxi's uncle, Jiang Gaoyi, is a native of Wuliyuan Village in Xiuwu County and a noble family in Xiuwu County. Gao Jiang should be called Li Jiang in the genealogy, and it is more appropriate to use the word senior one. Although Qian Wei is a military school student, he has been officially assigned a short-term position. Mao Changxi's mother, Jiang, is the youngest of four brothers and sisters in the family. At the age of sixteen, she married Mao Changxi's father, Mao Shutang, to fill the house.

There is still a folklore about Jiang's family in Wuzhi County. Legend has it that ginger has pockmarked face and big feet. Once, Mao Yunxi and his mother went to visit relatives and friends, and Jiang's feet were accidentally exposed from the sedan chair. Mao Changxi saw Niang's big feet and was afraid of jokes from passers-by. He said softly, "Mom, hide your feet quickly!" " "Jiang was furious." You don't think my feet are big, do you? " Say that finish, deliberately put your feet out of the car and swagger through the city.

According to legend, Gao Jiang, Mao Yunxi's uncle, wanted to send lanterns to his nephew Mao Yunxi. In Wuli Strip, carriages lined up from the end of the street, filled with soldiers, firecrackers shook the earth, red lanterns opened the way, and six classes of suona gongs and drums played all the way. Four long dragons, clear, white, yellow and black, dance in a winding way. The surging crowd was in an endless stream, full of people, who all came to see this luxurious scene of sending lights.

When my nephew Mao Yunxi "played lanterns to shine on my uncle", he played thirteen gongs to clear the way, followed the ceremony, gathered in front of him, rode in the car and held up banners. Thanks to the courtesy of the imperial court, I used half a picture of Luan's family, including flags, gongs, cards, umbrellas, fans, melons, moon axes and stirrups. The flag is embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, which are made according to the official rank. There are rank names, "avoidance" and "silence" on the cards. The fan is more than two meters high, the handle is one meter long, and a small mirror is embedded in the fan, which shines. Yes, this umbrella is more than ten feet high. Cucumber, moon axe and stirrup are also in pairs, more than a foot long. The melon above is similar to the present cantaloupe. The moon axe is a crescent-shaped axe. The stirrup facing the sky is a stirrup, but it faces the sky at the top of the pole.

Mao Changxi took a lantern and shone on his uncle. He knelt down and asked him to sit in an eight-sedan chair. The bearers are dressed in special red silk mandarin jackets, with neat steps and elegant walking. Mao Changxi carries lanterns for hiking. At the gate, my uncle symbolically held the nephew's door high and hung a lamp. At the Thanksgiving dinner, Mao Yunxi bowed to his uncle three times and nine times and respectfully invited him to sit down. The banquet is full of banquets, singing and dancing, and it is very lively. Officials from all over the country rushed to congratulate and gave gifts, piling up like mountains.

As the saying goes, "my nephew and uncle are blood relatives." Because mother and uncle are siblings with similar genes, many nephews look like uncles.

I look like my uncle too. My uncle treats me better than his own son. When I was five years old, I lived in my uncle's house in cold weather and slept side by side with my cousin. My uncle forced my cousin to get out of bed and pee. I want to get out of bed, too, but my uncle put me on the bed and told me to pee on the mattress with a quilt in case I caught a cold. My uncle's family is very poor, and there is no salt to eat at ordinary times. As long as I go to his house for dinner, he will treat me as the most distinguished guest and try his best to borrow some salt for me to eat alone, for fear that I will be wronged a little. 1963 when I was admitted to junior high school, my mother wouldn't let me go to school because I didn't have the money to pay 12 yuan for books and miscellaneous expenses. When my uncle learned the news, he came to my house and had a quarrel with my mother, and patiently persuaded her to let me continue to go to school. He went back to sell the only rations at home and paid my tuition and fees. My uncle made the final decision for my mother because my father died young.

I have loved my uncle since I was a child and have special feelings for him. Children's nursery rhymes say, "On February 2nd, children shaved their heads, and the big warehouses were full, and the small warehouses were flowing. They were filial and sweet, and they didn't worry about food and clothing. Boys are top students in high school, while girls live in high buildings and have wealth. Children who don't shave their heads will get acne and lice. It rises like a big lantern, and yellow water flows all year round. His parents kept beating and cursing, and his uncle died in the twelfth winter. " I'm afraid my uncle will die in October and December, and I have to shave my head on February 2. The nursery rhyme also says, "Little nephew, play lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month, and take care of my uncle. Please come to my uncle's house for a banquet and plop your head down. " I keep this nursery rhyme in mind and "take pictures of my uncle" on time every year. Although my uncle is poor, he just gave me a small paper lantern, which I also feel particularly precious. Although my family is not rich, I just invited my uncle to eat a home-cooked meal, and my uncle felt very happy.

When I came home from the army, I had 150 yuan's "super rich" in my pocket for the first time. I took out 100 yuan and held a grand ceremony of "lighting lanterns and taking care of my uncle" to repay my uncle's great kindness. I can't kneel to my uncle at the party. My uncle held me tightly in his arms, and my nephew and uncle cried bitterly. Everyone present also shed tears, and all the true feelings turned into wordless actions.

Nowadays, some young people are not even willing to be filial to their parents, let alone their uncles, and even disdain and sneer at the traditional custom of "lighting a lamp to take care of their uncles".

Nowadays, lanterns are rarely played during the Spring Festival. Paper lanterns have also been replaced by plastic lanterns of various shapes, and candles used in lanterns have also been replaced by batteries and light bulbs. However, personally, I think it would be a pity to lose some traditional virtues. I really don't want the traditional folk custom of "lighting a lamp to shine on grandpa" to disappear and become a distant memory of the old people.