Lantern Festival

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Lantern Festival

Applicant: Miyun County, Beijing

Item No.: 978

Project No.: Ⅹ - 71

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Beijing

Type: new item

Applicant: Miyun County, Beijing

Protected by: Miyun District Cultural Center, Beijing

Brief introduction of Lantern Festival

Applicant: Miyun County, Beijing

Lantern Festival, also known as "Shangyuan Festival", "Yuanxi Festival" and "Lantern Festival", is a traditional Chinese festival, which is popular all over the country. In China, the first month of the lunar calendar is Yuanyue, which is called "Xiao" in ancient times. Therefore, the 15th day of the first full moon in a year is called "Yuanxiao Festival".

Since the Han Dynasty, China has been lighting lanterns on the Lantern Festival, which has gradually developed into a custom. In the Tang Dynasty, this custom became more popular. The sentence "fire trees and silver flowers, star bridges and iron locks open" describes the grand occasion of the Lantern Festival in Chang'an. In the Ming Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become an important part of people's life, and it will enjoy lanterns continuously for 10 days. In the Qing Dynasty, the Lantern Festival is a folk festival enjoyed by all the people, Fireworks and firecrackers will be set off during the lantern watching activities.

There are also some traditional activities in the Lantern Festival: one is "guessing lantern riddles", also known as "playing lantern riddles", which first appeared in the Song Dynasty. The riddles are to be guessed and the winner will be awarded; the other is to eat yuanxiao, which was originally known as "fuyuanzi", also known as "tangtuan" or "Tangyuan", a spherical food made of glutinous rice flour. It is filled with stuffing and eaten after being cooked in water, Eating Lantern Festival symbolizes the family reunion, harmony and happiness. The Lantern Festival in some places also has the custom of "walking through all kinds of diseases", also known as "baking all kinds of diseases" and "dispersing all kinds of diseases". People walk together on the Lantern Festival, or cross the bridge with each other, or go to the suburbs, symbolizing the elimination of diseases and disasters, peace and prosperity. Since modern times, traditional performances such as playing dragon lantern, playing lion, walking on stilts, rowing dry boat, twisting Yangko, playing Taiping drum and so on have been added to the Lantern Festival activities, which makes the Lantern Festival have a new development in the inheritance.

The Lantern Festival, which has a history of more than 2000 years, is not only popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also highly valued in overseas Chinese communities. In addition to the Han nationality, Manchu, Korean, Hezhe, Mongolian, Daur, Ewenki, Oroqen, Hui, Xibo, Tibetan, Bai, Naxi, Miao, Yao, she, Zhuang, Buyi, Li, Gelao and other ethnic minorities also celebrate the Lantern Festival, with their own characteristics.

Jiuqu Yellow River array lamp, commonly known as "dengchangzi", is popular in Gezhuang village, Dongtian, Miyun County, Beijing.

In the fourth year of Hongwu (1371) of Ming Dynasty, Shanxi immigrants introduced "dengchangzi" into Dongtian villages, which has a history of more than 600 years.

The old man Liu Jihua in the village has preserved the map of Jiuqu Yellow River array Lantern Festival, which has a history of 100 years. According to the location of the eight trigrams in the nine palaces of the book of changes, the array in the picture is made of Jiuqu, a traditional pattern of wealth and honor. The eight palaces of Qian, Kan, gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun and Dui, together with the central palace, have nine palaces, which are formed by simulating the ancient battle array.

During the Spring Festival every year, the lanterns are put up on the 10th day of the first month of the lunar calendar in Dongtian villages. The Lantern Festival is officially held on the 14th, 15th and 16th day of the first month, and the lanterns are withdrawn on the 17th day of the first month. During the Lantern Festival, people came from all directions to watch the Lantern Festival, walk in the lantern array, and watch the drama. After entering the entrance of the lamp array, if you can smoothly pass through the chain array, and then return from the exit, it means a smooth and safe year. Therefore, there is a local saying that "walking along the lamp array, you can live ninety-nine years".

There are two main characteristics of the Jiuqu Yellow River array lantern custom in Gezhuang, Dongtian. One is the combination of Lantern field and Flower Festival, the other is the combination of Lantern Festival and opera performance. The Jiuqu Yellow River array Lantern Festival has the nature of some kind of intelligent game. The lantern array and its denotation Lantern Festival contain rich cultural connotation and have high historical and cultural research value. Due to various reasons, Jiuqu Yellow River array lamp custom is now in an endangered state. Miyun County has formulated effective measures to rescue and protect it.