Scratch the sheep

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: naoyangsai

Applicant: Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province

Project No.: 813

Project No.: VI - 41

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional sports, recreation and acrobatics

Region: Shanxi Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province

Protection unit: Xinzhou Wrestling Club

Brief introduction of Naoyang race:

Applicant: Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province

Naoyang race is a popular mass sports activity in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. It originated in 1369, the second year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, and evolved from the traditional "Jiaoding" in Xinzhou. According to historical records, temples in Xinzhou often hold grand temple fairs on a regular or irregular basis. After six consecutive falls, the winner of the duel will be rewarded with a live sheep for sacrifice. The winner held the sheep high and circled the field, paying homage to the "gods" and thanking the audience. Therefore, it is known as naoyangsai (meaning "Nao" in Xinzhou dialect).

Compared with the formal Chinese wrestling competition, there are two major differences in Naoyang competition: one is that the players do not wear wrestling clothes and go on bareback; the other is that the rules of the game are simple, the referee power is not large, and the players are almost spectators.

There is no time limit, so there is a special word called "boil oil", which means that the wrestling gestures are all powerful, and there is always no win or lose. The audience's eyelids are sinking, but they don't want to leave. It is called "boil oil". Folk sheep often scratch to the east to dawn, the audience regardless of men and women are in high spirits. This kind of healthy and simple competitive game greatly enriches the cultural life in rural areas and has high entertainment value.

In recent years, due to the increase of young and middle-aged migrant workers, the decrease of rural cultural activities, and the influence of fashion culture, the number of people participating in the sheep scratching competition has decreased sharply. This activity is facing an unprecedented crisis and needs to be protected.