What are the customs of Putian Lantern Festival?

Whether it is the Spring Festival or the Lantern Festival, it is undoubtedly one of our most grand traditional festivals. Different regions have different beliefs and customs. The indispensable part of celebrating the Lantern Festival in Putian is the brown sedan chair. Below, the editor will introduce to you the custom of putting the brown sedan chair during the Lantern Festival in Putian. Everyone is welcome to read.

Introduction to the Putian Lantern Festival custom of placing brown sedan chairs:

Placing brown sedan chairs is an ancient Han folk activity in Putian City, Fujian Province, which is a characteristic of the Lantern Festival. People gathered around the burning bonfire, and the performers carried the "sedan" made of brown material. They followed the walking steps of lifting the sedan chair and the jumping steps of swinging the sedan chair. With the sound of gongs and drums that came and went slowly, they lifted the sedan chair high again and again. Fall down, run and jump around and around. It entrusts the working people of the Han nationality with a good wish to dispel evil spirits, avoid disasters and pray for blessings.

No one can explain the origin of the custom of setting up a brown sedan chair. They only know that it is more sacred and solemn. Placing a brown sedan chair in front of a blazing fire has a primitive and mysterious aura, and is often combined with various folk customs, religions, sacrifices, weddings and weddings and other activities. The time for the Lantern Festival among the Han people in Putian City is different from that in other regions. The "orthodox" Lantern Festival is on the 15th day of the first lunar month, while the Lantern Festival in Putian starts on the sixth day of the first lunar month and lasts until the end of the first lunar month.

Putting a brown sedan chair not only entertains gods but also people, and has certain elements of sports action. Performers may walk or jump to the rhythm of gongs and drums, or lift or swing sedan chairs. They include leg movements, arm and trunk movements, and both straight and curved movements. It is a unique form of physical fitness. physical activity.

Moreover, performers and onlookers echoed each other during the event and expressed their emotions vividly, which not only brought visual impact, but also shocked the soul. People expressed their respect for God and enjoyed the fun of life at the same time.

People's enthusiasm was aroused and the crowd was boiling. At this time, the performers and onlookers could no longer tell who was who. This exaggerated body language is intended to express admiration for God.

Putian Lantern Festival customs and festivals:

The Lantern Festival is an important folk festival in Putian. It is more grand than the Spring Festival and lasts for a long time (the reason is that the time of each village is different. The earliest the eighth day of the lunar month, the latest is the 29th day of the first lunar month).

Before liberation, on the night of the Lantern Festival, the palace in the village was decorated with lanterns, a "banquet table" was set up, cakes and fruits were stacked, and the villagers carried the Bodhisattva idol to perform Nuo. The Nuo procession goes around the territory for a week, and every family sets up an incense table in the hall. When the procession passes by, they light candles and incense, set off firecrackers, burn firewood, and melt "tribute silver" to pray for peace and happiness throughout the year. This is commonly known as "Jie Xing Nuo".

After the Nuo performance, the housewives take the embers home and pour them into the stove, indicating that the coming year will be more prosperous. It's night, with lantern parades, "brown sedan chairs" (Dancing on Nuo fire), dragon and lion dances, until dawn. Some villages also "make tents" (where several groups of actors perform large-scale historical dramas together).

Some villages have a very special way of celebrating the Lantern Festival. For example, the way of celebrating the Lantern Festival in Guangfuzai Village, Chengjiao Township, Chengxiang District is that from 5 to 6 o'clock in the morning on the 13th day of the first lunar month, every family puts the cooking pot on. Take it out and "rake" it in the yard a few times to celebrate the festival.