Folk social fire (Yongnian flower table)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Folk Shehuo (Yongnian flower table)

Applicant: Yongnian County, Hebei Province

Project No.: 502

Project No.: Ⅹ - 54

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Hebei Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Yongnian County, Hebei Province

Protection unit: cultural center of Yongnian District, Handan City

Introduction to folk Shehuo (Yongnian flower table)

Applicant: Yongnian County, Hebei Province

Folk fire is a popular self entertainment activity during the Spring Festival, which originated from the ancient land worship and fire god worship. "She" is the God of land, "fire" is the ancestor of fire, is the legendary god of fire. In the history of agriculture based China, land was used for farming, fire for cooking food and heating, both of which are the material basis for people's survival and development. In ancient times, people believed that fire also had "spirit" according to primitive thinking, and worshipped it as a deity with special meaning, thus forming the concept of advocating fire. With the development of society and the improvement of people's cognitive ability, this kind of sacrificial ceremony gradually added the element of entertaining people, and finally formed a large-scale and complex folk entertainment activities.

According to the form of performance, Shehuo can be divided into modeling Shehuo and performing Shehuo. Among them, modeling Shehuo includes cloth Shehuo, back Shehuo, horse Shehuo, car Shehuo, core Shehuo, mountain Shehuo, mask Shehuo and other forms of line-up performance, which mainly shows the figure's modeling and craft; performing Shehuo includes platform Shehuo, stilt Shehuo and other forms, which mainly carries out fighting performance in the courtyard.

The theme of Shehuo is folklore and drama, which shows a story with one or a group of characters. A story is a turn of Shehuo. The characters should draw the face of Shehuo, wear the clothes of Shehuo and hold the torch of Shehuo. Generally speaking, Shehuo's performance is to explore horses in front, followed by Shehuo's flag team, fire blunderbuss team (artillery team), flag team, Shehuo team, and finally gongs and drums team. Reform and opening up has brought new vitality to the folk fire art. Under the new situation, the traditional fire art has been carried forward and become a popular folk cultural activity.

Yongnian flower table is a folk dance style with distinctive Yanzhao regional cultural characteristics, which integrates folk craft production, dance, playing and strike. It began in the early Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1000 years. It is mainly spread in liudao street, Linmingguan Town, Yongnian County, Hebei Province.

The flower table generally weighs more than 200 Jin and is made with unique traditional technology. The table similar to the eight immortals table is covered with various kinds of flowers to form a high arch shape, and then two 5-meter-long lifting poles are inserted, which are carried by 8 or 16 people to dance or walk in flower steps, and one person to support the pole, calling for slogans and conducting. Huatai is the forerunner of Yongnian advocacy band and accompanies the dancers with the music of Suona. The repertoire often played includes Bawangbian, xiaomuwan and Tuguang. The people who carry the flower table are not paid, and they are formed spontaneously by the people. A flower table needs 40 or 50 people. When carrying the flower table, there are many kinds of dance steps, such as rubbing step before and after, eight character step, flower step, Yangko step, shaking shoulders and changing shoulders, etc. in the process of walking, the drum music is noisy, the flowers are flying, and the movements of the people are neat and coordinated. The scene is very spectacular. The flower table is usually performed during the Lantern Festival. There is a set of agreed ritual process from sacrificing the table, inserting the table, carrying the table to finally removing and sealing the table.

After the formation of flower table, as a traditional cultural activity, it has been handed down from generation to generation and has been enriched and improved in the process of spreading.