One of the folk sports activities of the Tujia people - dragon lantern dance
Dragon lantern dance is a traditional cultural activity of the Chinese nation. All ethnic groups have the custom of dragon lantern dance. Legend has it that the Tujia people in There was no custom of dragon dancing a long time ago. One year, there was no rain for a long time, the seedlings withered and yellowed, and the streams and rivers stopped flowing. Mr. Guigu, who could calculate the weather, rain, rain, drought, misfortune and blessings in the world, came and said to the Tujia people: "Don't worry, everyone, we will have no time to arrange a row this afternoon." "It rains at the time of Xu. It rains three points inside the city and seven points outside the city." After hearing his words, Jin Gou Long, who was being controlled by the water, thought, "Why should I control the water when there is such a capable person in the world?" ! Suddenly jealous, he angrily changed the amount of rain the Jade Emperor ordered him to make inside and outside the city. As a result, there was a heavy downpour, flooding the city, houses collapsed, and many people drowned. After the incident was reported to the Jade Emperor, the Jade Emperor threw Jingou Laolong into the sky prison, and beheaded him in public seven days later. Guanyin Bodhisattva knew this and asked the Jade Emperor to save the old dragon. Before Guanyin could speak, the Jade Emperor released his Yin Sword and cut the old golden dragon into nine sections. After that, Mr. Guigu came again and said to the Tujia people: "Old Long was killed because he was angry with me, but he did a lot of good things for the people. If he dies, you must burn some incense paper for him." So. , the Tujia people made a nine-section golden dragon and danced it in every village, asking people to worship it and pray to the old dragon for good weather and good harvests. Over time, dragon dancing has become a traditional custom of the Tujia people. However, the Tujia dragon dance in cities and towns is similar to the Buzalong dance across the country, while the Tujia village dragon dance is different from other places and has its own characteristics. There are mainly the following types.
(1) Lantern Dragon
Also called "Lantern Dragon", this kind of dragon is mostly popular in market towns where Tujia people live together.
Generally, the lanterns are released on the third day of the first lunar month and end on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. "Denglong" consists of nine sections (meaning: the old dragon was cut into nine sections). The dragon head is made of bamboo sticks, pasted with white Qingming paper, and painted with various colors. The shape is lifelike, with horns, mouth, and Has eyes and a beard. Each section of the dragon body is tied into a cylindrical shape with thin strips of bamboo and covered with Qingming paper. The dragon tail is also tied into a fish tail shape, and a red cloth belt is used to connect the dragon head, dragon body, and dragon tail. A candle is lit in each section of the dragon head, dragon body, and dragon tail, which looks like a lantern. The lantern dragon dance is very lively. There are two to four pairs of lanterns in front to clear the way, indicating which village or street the lantern dragon belongs to. Behind the lanterns, there are fish, shrimps, clam shells, lanterns, etc., and under the sound of gongs, drums and horns, Swinging your head and tail, you can swim around the streets and alleys. The actions of playing the lantern dragon include the yellow dragon descending into the sea, the golden dragon holding the pillar, the two dragons grabbing the treasure, the old dragon turning over, the golden dragon crossing the sea cucumber... etc. Wherever the lantern dragon goes, firecrackers continue and the fireworks fill the air, filling the air with onlookers. In order to welcome the lantern dragon into the house, some families lined up 36 pairs of large fireworks cannons in front of the door, and fired tens of thousands of firecrackers. Those who were brave enough to enter the house were encouraged to try it out. The lantern dragon entered the courtyard, and the cannons and firecrackers outside the surrounding doors exploded in the air, with fireworks everywhere. At this time, except for the lights on each section of the lantern dragon, all other lights are turned off. The lanterns and dragons flying in the afterglow of firecrackers and fireworks are very spectacular. Most of the lantern dragon dancers are shirtless and leggings, blending into the writhing dragon. The lights never go out, the dragons never stop, and the firecrackers keep going. Once the lantern dragon sprays water from its mouth, the owner pulls the dragon's beard, wears red clothes, and entertains the dragon dance team with fine wine. If the dragon dancer is timid and is afraid of fireworks and firecrackers, and then exits when the dragon raises his head and salutes in front of the door, he will not get the master's colorful silk and will not be able to taste the fine wine. Therefore, lantern dragon dancers are all experts with fast hands and strong dancing skills. When the lantern dragon entered the courtyard, even though the fireworks were flying, they could not burn the dragon's body or human body. Those who are not very good at dancing may enter the hospital dancing with a giant dragon and leave the hospital wearing a bamboo hoop.
The Lantern Festival ends on the 15th day of the first lunar month. From the 13th to the 15th day of the first lunar month is the Dragon Burning Day. Dragon burning is carried out beside streams or ditches with water. When burning the dragon, the dragon is placed on the ground, and everyone sprays the prepared cannons, fireworks, firecrackers and other sparks directly on the dragon's body. When the dragon is finished burning, Afterwards, everyone shouted "ah" and jumped for a while, sending the remains of the lantern dragon into the water and washing it away with water, which meant sending the dragon back to the sea.
(2) Straw-shaped dragon
So the dragon is named after it is made of straw. Use a large handful of straw to tie it into a dragon head with a mouth, horns, eyes, and beards. Use a bunch of straw ropes to tie it into a seven-section dragon body that is about the same thickness as the dragon's head and neck. Then use a handful of straw to tie it into a fish. The tail-shaped dragon tail has nine sections in a row, which are strung together at intervals with straw, and a bamboo pole is inserted into each section as a handle. The Cao Ba Long dance is mainly held in Tujia rural villages. Every year from May to July of the lunar calendar, it is the time to dance the Cao Ba Long. The significance of the dragon dance is that the entertainment includes both driving away plague and preventing fire.
Dispel the plague. During the fifth and sixth months of the lunar calendar, rice seedlings grow vigorously in the fields, the weather is hot, and diseases and insect pests are common. One of the most devastating pests and diseases is "rice blast." In an era when technology was backward and unable to be prevented, Tujia farmers used grass dancing to drive dragons away to drive away rice blast. , it became a habit over time to gather people for entertainment. The dragon dances with grass to drive away the plague. From the village to the fields, it dances on every rice field and on every hilltop. The dance movements are the same as those of the lantern dragon. The dragon dance team performed their dance skills amidst the sound of blowing horns, setting off three-eye cannons, beating gongs and drums, and setting off firecrackers, which was quite spectacular. After dancing in all the fields of their respective villages, the dragons are carried to the creek and burned, which is called sending the dragon back to the sea.
Change the flame. It is held in villages around the Dragon Boat Festival in May of the lunar calendar or in July when the rice is about to mature. On the day of the dragon dance, every family in the village puts a basin of water and a sieve of grains in the middle of the main room, waiting for the dragon dance team to arrive. In addition to the nine-section grass-handled dragon dance, the dragon dance team also breaks a ten-foot-long bamboo into a boat shape, and puts a pot of charcoal flame in the middle, which is carried by two people.
There are also three people who perform water shooting, archery and tuosi, and then a number of free spectators. The dragon dance team, led by Tu Laosi, entered the main hall of each house from top to bottom starting from the first house at the head of the village. The dragon head bowed three times to the shrine in the main hall, then circled around the main house and danced various tricks. At this time, the water shooter uses a water gun (the shape is the same as the "water gun" in Chapter 3) to suck up the water in the basin and shoot water in the five directions of southeast, northwest and middle (meaning to extinguish the fire). Skim a handful. When the Chinese side is outside the main hall gate, the dragon dance team goes out to dance to another main hall. After all the families in the village have danced, they carry the grass, dragons and flames to the ditch and burn it, then water it and return it to the sea. The meaning of the dragon dance to move the flame is to ask the dragon to move the flame god out of the village to avoid fire and ensure peace.
(3) Bench Dragon
It is said that during the Lantern Festival a long time ago, when everyone was watching the Dragon Lantern Festival, three young Tujia people became more and more excited as they watched, dancing and eager to try. They picked up the long bench they were sitting on and started dancing imitating dragon lanterns, which was very joyful. Later, traditional sports gradually formed. They were used for entertainment and fitness in normal times, and performed and competed during festivals. They were deeply loved by the Tujia people.
There are two styles of bench dragons: one is a simple bench dragon that uses a common long stool and is lifted by three people, with two people in front and one behind; the other is made of thin strips of bamboo. , with a dragon head, dragon tail, dragon horns, dragon eyes, and dragon mouth, and then paste scales of various colors, and put the tied dragon on the bench, with four wooden feet to show the dragon claws, which is very beautiful.
There are two types of Bandensaurus: Solitary Dragon and Duodenlong. The single-stool dragon is danced by three people. One person uses his right hand and the other uses his left hand to grasp the front two feet. The third person grasps the two back feet with both hands. When dancing, the head and tail are required to look at each other and coordinate. When the head is high, the tail should be lowered, the head is to the left, and the tail is to the right; when the head is pulled upward, the tail player should let go and change positions. The dragon tail dancer must be someone with good footwork, fast speed and good eyesight. The two dragon head dancers need to be basically the same height. The multi-stool dragon consists of nine benches. The first section is the dragon head, the ninth section is the dragon tail, and the rest are the dragon body. Under the leadership of the magician, the dragon's head rises and falls, twisting and turning, just like a dragon emerging from the water. The whole dragon requires tacit cooperation and follows each other step by step. The movements of the bench dragon include: two dragons grabbing treasures, yellow dragon piercing flowers, golden dragon playing in water, golden cicada escaping its shell, yellow dragon coiling around, etc. Nowadays, the bench dragon performance has been moved to the literary and artistic stage.
(4) Water-Splashing Dragon
The Tujia people’s water-splashing dragon is also a grand folk sports activity that has been popular since the Tusi period. The water-splashing dragon is made of willow sticks and consists of a dragon head, a dragon body, a dragon tail and a rolling treasure. The dragon's body generally has 12 holes, that is, one hole per month, and 13 holes in leap years. The dragon head has eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, horns and whiskers, and the image is lifelike. The dragon's tail is raised and can swing left and right. The person who lifts the dragon head is usually a famous elder in the Tujia village. The dragon body and tail follow the person and lift it. The rolling treasure is also made of wicker and shaped like a ball, flying up, down, left and right in front of the dragon's mouth, forming a "dragon grabbing treasure".
The water-splashing dragon dance is held on Dragon Day when the scorching sun is high in the sixth and seventh lunar months. On this day, every household in the Tujia village puts buckets filled with water, water basins, water ladles, water guns, etc. in front of the door. When the water-splashing dragon team blowing horns, suonas, and beating gongs and drums comes to the door, men and women are surrounded by the sound of firecrackers. Young and old alike use water ladles, water guns, and wooden basins to continuously pour water on the water dragon and the naked dragon dancer. Whoever splashes more water will have a good harvest and prosperous livestock. During the water-splashing dragon dance, all men, women, and children in the village can freely participate in the water-splashing dance. The scene is intense, joyful, and lively.