The Dragon Lantern Festival is one of the most grand traditional folk cultural activities in the first month. Legend has it that dragons can move clouds and bring rain, ward off disasters and bring blessings, symbolizing auspiciousness, so dragon dancing to pray for peace and a good harvest has become a custom across the country. People welcome lanterns to ward off evil spirits and plagues, and to ward off disasters and pray for blessings. They usually light up the lanterns on the eighth day of the first lunar month and disperse them after the Lantern Festival. "Deng" in Dongyang dialect has the same pronunciation as "Ding". In the old days, when welcoming lanterns, each household was required to have one strong man, along with a bench and a lantern. Connect the benches of each house, put on the lantern, and add the head and tail of the dragon. It forms a long bench dragon, specifically named "Bridge Lantern". There are usually hundreds of bridge lanterns, and as many as more than a thousand bridges, stretching for four or five miles, which is a spectacular sight. The longer the dragon lantern, the more prosperous the village is, and the more neighboring villagers will come to watch.
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Huaqiao dragon lanterns are popular in Huaqiao, Shangzhai, Liangtoumen and other villages in Huaqiao Town, Sanmen County. They began in the Southern Song Dynasty and have been around for more than a thousand years. history. The Dragon Welcome activity originated from the consciousness of totem worship, and later evolved into a folk activity to pray for a good harvest and peace. Every year on the 13th day of the first lunar month, the lanterns are turned on and on the 16th day of the first lunar month, the lanterns are turned off. Dragon welcoming activities are held for four consecutive nights, which has been passed down from generation to generation. There is a whole set of auspicious etiquette when dragon lanterns come out to welcome people. Including the greeting time, Qinglong Road, sacrifice, starting point, walking route, picking up the dragon, sending the dragon beads ceremony and the order of the dragon lanterns and supporting facilities, etc. are very particular, reflecting the local folk customs and regional cultural values, and are deeply loved by the people. favorite. The biggest difference between Huaqiao dragon lanterns and dragon lanterns in other places is that five dragon lanterns come out at the same time. The dragon is divided into five colors, namely red, yellow, cyan, green and purple, which represent the five different directions of east, south, west, north and center, implying the unification of the four seas and the harmony of the world. Each color also has a different meaning. Red represents the sun, which implies hope and good things; green represents the sky, which implies good weather; green represents the earth, which implies the growth of all things and abundant harvests; purple represents luck, which implies the harmony between man and nature; and yellow represents Power and wealth imply a beautiful life. Therefore, the dragon lantern was put out to welcome the guests, and the ceremony was very solemn.