Chongqing Youyang Tujia Dragon Lantern Festival

    The neck of a dragon is usually thick and long, with a handful of straw tied into a fishtail-shaped dragon tail, a total of nine sections, with straw spaced in series, each section inserted a bamboo and wood pole for the handle. Dragon dancing is mainly held in rural villages of Tujia. From May to July of the lunar calendar every year, dragon dancing is a time for grass dancing. The meaning of dragon dancing is that entertainment includes two kinds of fire fighting and pestilence driving.

    Drive out the plague. In May and June of the lunar calendar, the rice straw seedlings are fierce and long-term, the weather is hot, pests and diseases occur frequently, among which the destructive pests and diseases are "rice blast". In an era when science and technology are backward and can not be controlled, Tujia farmers use grass dancing to expel rice blast, long-term habits, gather people for entertainment. Dancing grass drives the Dragon away from the village to the field. In each paddy field area and on each hill and ridge, the dancing moves are the same as that of the Lantern dragon. The dragon dancing troop performed its dancing skills in the sound of boasting horns, setting off three-eye guns, beating gongs and drums, and setting off firecrackers, which was quite spectacular. After all the field dance in their villages, the dragons were dragled to the edge of the stream to burn the dragon.

    Dragon lantern

    Move the flame. The Lunar New Year's Eve May or July is about to mature in the village. On Dragon Dance Day, a basin of water and a sieve of grain grains were placed in the middle of the halls of all the villages, waiting for the dragon dance team to come. In the dragon dance team, besides nine grasses, there is a fire that breaks a long bamboo into a boat shape and installs a basin of charcoal fire in the middle, which is carried by two people. There are also three people who shoot water, archery and dirt, and then a few free spectators. The dragon dance team, under the leadership of the local elders, entered the halls from the village head up and down successively. After that, the dragon head made three nods to the hall shrines, then circled the halls and danced in various patterns. At this time, the water ejector sucked water from the basin with a water ejector (shaped like the three chapters of "water gun") to shoot water (meaning fire extinguishing) in the southeast, northwest, central and five directions, while the Tulaos grabbed and sifted the five valleys in the middle, southeast, northwest, central and five sides and left one each. When the Chinese side was outside the main gate, the Dragon Dance went to another hall. When all the families of the village were dancing, they carried the grass dragons and flames to the side of the creek and burned them back to the sea. The Dragon Dance means that the dragon must move the flame God out of the village so as to keep the fire safe.

    Tujia "Bao Long" and the dragon worship of the Chinese nation

    In the legend of the Chinese nation, Bao long can be hidden, capable of being small and powerful, and can be short and long. Spring equinox ascends, autumn equinox lurks, calls for wind and rain, omnipotent; in feudal society, the upper class is the incarnation of the rule of the emperor, folk is auspicious sign.

    As the incarnation of feudal monarchy, the ancient village of Ba people in Dawan, Nuxi, has been under the rule of the central dynasty since ancient times. It belonged to the ghost square in Yin and Zhou dynasties, and to the southern border of Ba in Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. Since then, the culture of Central Plains has been spreading throughout the border areas through political channels. In ancient society, human beings could not explain some astronomical phenomena, natural disasters, plagues and other diseases scientifically, but only prayed for blessings from various gods. As the main object of totem worship, the dragon was undoubtedly the main body of the people's worship.

    After the Qin and Han Dynasties, Baolong, as the embodiment of imperial rule, has penetrated into every corner. As a symbol of domination, it maintains social stability and unity to a certain extent and promotes social progress and development. Dragon, as a recessive cultural symbol believed by the people, has been disseminated and consolidated, which has accumulated more beneficial elements for development.

    As a symbol of auspicious auspiciousness. Taking the dragon as a symbol of auspicious symbol is the product of worshipping the dragon as a protector. So people paint dragons everywhere, draw dragons, and even pretend to see dragons. Until modern times, there are still many dragon-related patterns in the Tujia area of Jiangkou County. In addition to wood carvings, decorations and many stone carvings, they can also be seen everywhere on the belt, waistband, clothing and other daily necessities. These are undoubtedly the results of dragon as a symbol of auspiciousness.

    In February, the two dragon head Festival is an important traditional festival for Chinese folk. It is a special day for sacrificing dragon gods. According to relevant scholars, the formation of the Dragon Head-up Festival on February 2nd of the lunar calendar is the product of the worship of the dragon as a water god in charge of rainwater. On the second day of February in the lunar calendar, when the horror and the spring equinox are coming, the earth gradually warms up. Folklore holds that the dragon that stumbles for a winter rises from this day, and the rainwater increases accordingly. As early as the eighth year of Yongle (1410 years), there were pictorial records of "Dragon Dancing for Rain" in the area of Dawan Ba ancient village in Nuxi.

    In the Qing Dynasty, a dedicated Dragon God site was built. Historical materials (Dao Guang): "dragon Shrine: left in the Zitong Pavilion, the three ancestral temple. Daoguang eighteen years (1838), Mu Jian temple, after the Guanyin building. In the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong (1794), Liu Xin and Liu Sheng donated money to build the hall outside, which was the founder of the present temple. Tongren Fuzhi has such a narrative when it records the Dragon Temple. Yongzheng has given an oracle in five years: "Dragon gods walk in rain, bless the country and bless the people, with remarkable function. I set up the dragon god statue in every province to pray for the provinces. Today, the Dragon God is dedicated to the provinces and rivers. I made the two images of the Dragon God in every province, inviting the provincial governors to welcome them, offering their respects to the local people. It can be seen that the worship of the dragon and the prayers of rain prevailed everywhere.

    According to legend, during Tongzhi period of Qing Dynasty, Liu Honggui, an ancient village of Ba people in Dawan, Nuxi, was successful in suppressing the Huanghao Army uprising and had four official residences. Folk people said that he was born of the dragon dance "delivering treasures", so he carved two dragons on his tombstone. In the ruins of the ancient village, a tombstone hostess carved dragon and male master.