What is the origin of dragon lanterns?

Legend 1

Dragon lantern dance is a traditional cultural activity of the Chinese nation, and all ethnic groups have the custom of dragon lantern dance. Legend has it that Tujia people did not have the habit of dancing dragons long ago. One year, after a long drought without rain, the seedlings withered and the stream was cut off. Mr. Guigu, who can calculate the weather, said to Tujia people, "Don't worry, it will rain at the end of this afternoon, with three points in the city and seven points outside the city." Old Dragon, the golden dog in charge of water conservancy, listened and thought, there are so many talents on the earth, why should I care about water? ! Suddenly jealous, he angrily ordered the Jade Emperor to live in the city.

Dance dragon lantern

The rainfall inside and outside the city is changed to minutes. As a result, it rained cats and dogs, flooded the city, collapsed houses and drowned many people. After this incident was told to the Jade Emperor by the local land, the Jade Emperor put the old dragon with a golden hook in an iron prison and beheaded it seven days later. Guanyin Bodhisattva knew this and begged the Jade Emperor to save the old dragon. Before Guanyin could speak, the jade emperor put a yin sword and cut the old dragon into nine sections with a gold hook. Later, Mr. Guigu came to Tujia and said, "Lao Long was angry with me, but he did a lot of good things to the people." You should burn some incense paper for him when he dies. " Therefore, Tujia people made nine golden dragons, danced in various villages, asked people to worship them, and asked the old dragons to bless the good weather and good harvests. For a long time, dragon dancing has also become a traditional custom of Tujia people. But Tujia people dance dragons, which means dancing Buzalang in the town, and it is similar all over the country. Tujia mountain village is different from other places and has its own characteristics.

Legend 2

According to legend, a long time ago, there was a lotus village on the bank of Tiaoxi River. There is a lotus pond in front of the village, which is full of lotus flowers. Every summer, the green lotus leaves are covered with water, and countless lotus flowers come out of the water, which is graceful.

There lived a hardworking and kind young couple by the lotus pond. The man's name is Bai Ye and the woman's name is Lotus. The husband and wife farm and weave, and respect and love each other. This year, Lotus was pregnant, and ten months later, the child was not born. Another year has passed and there is still no birth. Until the 999th day, a boy was born. Bai Ye saw that the child was healthy and strong, and he liked him very much. Looking closely, I was shocked: a thin dragon forest grew on the child's chest and back, glittering and translucent. Count it, there are 999 pieces. The midwife next to her was startled and shouted, "Oh, great, you have a dragon god at home!" " "

The news spread all over the village, and everyone came to congratulate. The news alarmed the old clan leaders in the village. His son is an official in the imperial court, leaving an ugly grandson around him. As soon as the grandparents heard that Bai Ye's family had given birth to a dragon seed, they immediately came to cut the dragon seed with a steel knife. When the villagers got the news, they immediately reported it to Bai Ye. After careful discussion, they came up with a way: put the child in the footbath and hide it quietly in the lotus pond in front of the door.

The old patriarch and grandson rushed in with people, and the child disappeared. Seeing that the dragon seed could not be found, the patriarch grabbed the shutter and forced him to hand it over. Grandson saw the beautiful lotus, so he had a plan. He raised a steel knife to kill the louver and robbed the lotus at home. The old patriarch thought: Dragon species will starve to death even if they are alive without parents. Besides, the lotus will bear dragon seeds, and the dragon seeds will be born in their own homes in the future, and the world will be mine.

Lotus was robbed to the old clan leader's house, and her husband and children were gone, which was very sad. The patriarch forced her to wash rice. Lotus dragged Tao Tao to the pool and gently stirred the water. Suddenly, a cool breeze blew. Deep in the lotus pond, the flowers and leaves fall to both sides, giving way to a waterway. I saw my son sitting in the footbath and floating towards her. Surprised and delighted, Lotus quickly took her son to her arms, fed him, and put him back in the footbath. A cool breeze brought the footbath back to the lotus. Lotus is glad to know that her son didn't starve to death.

Since then, she washed rice in the pool three times a day and fed her son three times. After feeding for 999 days, my son grew up and was covered with golden light shining from Longlin. At night, the lotus pond is brightly lit. People in the village are secretly happy to know that the dragon species have not been destroyed. The old clan leader learned that the dragon seed was actually in the lotus pond and he was poisoned again.

One evening, the lotus went to the pool to wash rice, and the grandparents and grandchildren hid under the poplar trees to observe the movement. They saw blue waves, floating flowers and leaves, and a cool breeze blowing gently. A footbath floated slowly from the depths of the lotus pond, and a child covered in gold sat in the basin, with his hands facing the cheerful lotus flower. Lotus was full of joy and was about to reach out and hug when a man came out from under the poplar tree, raised a bright steel knife and cut it straight at the child. Suddenly, I saw it.

Dance dragon lantern

The child suddenly jumped up from the footbath, turned into a golden dragon and jumped into the pool. But it was too late, and the knife cut the tail of Xiaolong. A beautiful butterfly stopped between the lotus flowers suddenly flew past, attached its body to the tail of the little dragon, and became the tail of the little dragon with a pair of beautiful wings.

The little dragon sang a long song. In an instant, the wind was blowing hard, the dark clouds were rolling and the lotus petals were flying in the pool. In the thunderbolt, the little dragon's body gradually became bigger, and it became a dragon dozens of feet long, tumbling and leaping over the lotus pond. At this time, a tornado rolled over, and the little dragon took off, riding the wind straight into the sky and flying into the clouds. The tornado was so fierce that the person who cut off the dragon's tail was swept into the air and thrown away without a trace. When the patriarch saw his grandson being swept away by the wind, he plunged into the lotus pond and drowned.

Lotus saw her son turn into a dragon and fly into the sky, shouting loudly, but the dragon had already flown without a trace.

From then on, whenever there was a drought on both sides of Tiaoxi River, Xiaolong came to scatter clouds and rain.

To thank it, the local people picked 749 lotus flowers from this pond and made a dragon with 999 petals. Because it is smaller than a piece of Chiba, it is named Baiyelong.

Every Spring Festival, people beat gongs, drums and dragons.

Legend 3

According to legend, ancient people called dragons, phoenixes, unicorns and turtles the four spirits, which are the embodiment of good luck and the sustenance of good wishes. Legend dragon

Dragon lantern show

The rain of Wang Xingyun blessed the world. As a [1] god, the dragon has been a national symbol worshipped by the people of China since ancient times and a product of artistic creation. It is composed of lion head, snake body, fish tail and chicken feet. It is brave, flexible, friendly and noble. It integrates people's ideals, wishes, wisdom and strength, symbolizing auspiciousness and happiness. It is said that as early as the Han Dynasty, dragon lanterns were very common. Folk people use dragon dancing to pray for the dragon's blessing, in order to have a good weather and a good harvest. By the Tang and Song Dynasties, the dragon dance had flourished among the people, and the form and performance skills of dragon lanterns were perfect. According to Wu's Dream in the Song Dynasty, "the grass is covered with a green curtain, and thousands of lamps and candles are densely arranged, which looks like a double dragon." This article fully shows that by the Song Dynasty, dragon lanterns had been active in the north and south of the river. There is also a beautiful legend about dragon lanterns: One year, there was a drought in Jinyang, and the Jade Emperor asked the Dragon King of Jinjiao to sprinkle rain in Jinyang and the Dragon King of Jinjiao to sprinkle rain in the south, drowning many people. When the Jade Emperor learned the news, he reprimanded the Dragon King of Jinjiao. In order to atone, the old dragon king visits people in the world every Spring Festival, promising good weather, abundant crops and happiness in the coming year.

Legend four

1May, 999, a set of Pinyin version of China Folk Festival Stories published by Taiwanese Mandarin Daily Press described the origin of Bench Dragon in the first volume of a ***25 volume:

There is a big stream called Lingxi in Jinhua County, Zhejiang Province, which originates from Qiling Mountain in the north.

One day, grandpa in Jinhua County was moved by compassion, bought a big snake and brought it home.

One year, it was particularly hot in summer and Lingxi dried up. The county magistrate prayed to God: I wish God would rain early to relieve the drought in our county magistrate!

At night, the county magistrate dreamed that his father-in-law said to him, "Your affection moved the Jade Emperor. Put the serpent into Lingxi at noon tomorrow, and the rain will come naturally. "

After the county grandfather woke up, he immediately sent someone to do it. A few days later, it began to rain, which relieved people's drought.

Later, in order to thank the serpent, people not only burned incense to worship, but also threw big bags of rice into the stream, hoping for a bumper harvest next year. But when people worship the serpent with rice, the weather becomes very strange, either the sun is exposed or it rains continuously.

When the county grandfather was worried about this strange weather, the serpent came back and said to him, "I used to be the dragon of Qiling Mountain and the god in charge of rice." Because he accidentally violated heaven, he was exiled to the world by the jade emperor; Later, because your kindness touched the jade emperor, I was released by the land father. But everyone threw rice into the stream to worship and ruined the food. The Jade Emperor was furious and punished Hua County for two years of drought. "The county grandfather asked quickly," Is there any remedy? " The serpent said, "As long as water is used in future sacrifices, don't use chicken, duck and fish, lest the Jade Emperor get angry. "

After thanking the serpent, the county magistrate ordered the people in the county to sacrifice according to the serpent's words. However, some people in the county still sacrifice meat such as chicken, duck and fish. The Jade Emperor was furious when he heard this: "Lingxi Long, didn't you say that Jinhua people already knew that they had repented?" Jinhua people continue to spoil food! Somebody please. Cut the dragon! "After the dragon was beheaded, it rained red every day in Jinhua County, almost the same as blood; Divided dragons fell from the sky and scattered on both sides of Lingxi. People will regret it when they know it. On the fifteenth day of the first month, they danced dragons and connected them with a dragon lantern similar to a bench, hoping that their bodies could be connected. This custom has been passed down to this day. ...