According to legend, in ancient times, people called the dragon, phoenix, unicorn, and turtle the four spirits, which are the embodiment of auspiciousness and the sustenance of good wishes. Legend has it that the Dragon King stirs up clouds and brings rain, which benefits the world.
As a kind of god, the dragon has been a national symbol worshiped by the Chinese people since ancient times. It is a product of artistic creation. It combines a lion's head, a snake's body, a fish's tail, and a chicken's claws. It combines bravery, flexibility, and Friendly and noble, it combines the ideals, wishes, wisdom and strength of the people, symbolizing good luck and happiness. It is said that as early as the Han Dynasty, dragon lantern dance activities were very common.
Folks dance dragons to pray for the dragon’s blessing, hoping for good weather and good harvests. By the Tang and Song dynasties, dragon dances had become very popular among the people, and the form and performance skills of dragon lanterns had been perfected.
There is also a beautiful legend about the dragon lantern dance: One year, Jinyang was suffering from severe drought. The Jade Emperor asked the Golden Horned Dragon King to sow rain in the Jinyang area, and the Golden Horned Dragon King sown rain to the south, flooding the area. Many people died. After the Jade Emperor learned of the news, he punished the Golden Horned Dragon King and denounced him. In order to atone for his sins, the old Dragon King went down to the mortal world to visit the people every New Year, promising that there would be happy rain in the coming year, so that the land of Jinyang would have good weather, good harvests, and live a beautiful and happy life.
Extended information
Dragon dance is a very ancient traditional folk activity. Dragon dancers are usually placed in the local Dragon King Temple. On the day of the dragon dance, with flags, gongs, drums, and horns as the precursor, the dragon body is taken out of the temple, the head and tail are connected, and an eye-dotting ceremony is held.
The body of the dragon is made of bamboo tied into a round dragon shape, with the joints connected. The outside is covered with a huge red cloth with dragon scales painted on it. There is a person holding the pole every five or six feet, and there are about ten dozen people between the head and the tail. Come to Zhang Zhang. The dragon is led by one person holding a pole, and a giant ball is erected on the top of the pole as a guide. During the dance, the giant ball swings back, forth, left, and right, and the dragon's head looks like it's grabbing the ball, causing the dragon's body to wander and fly.
Dragon dance is a big festival, and you will be entertained wherever you dance. The dragon dance team can sometimes have five or six banquets a day, which is called "dragon for wine". When the dragon dance is completed, the head and tail are burned and the dragon body is returned to the temple.
The dragon naturally became the rain god of crops. The importance of the dragon actually surpassed that of the ancestors - Emperor Shun, Qi and Hou Ji.