Chinese folk festivals, there are many are related to the dragon. Song Wu Zimu in the "Dream Liang Record" about the Southern Song dragon lantern account: "Lantern night ...... grass bound into a dragon, with a green screen to cover the grass, dense set of lamps and candles 10,000, looking at the meandering as the shape of a double dragon." Wu is talking about the static viewing of the dragon lanterns. The Southern Song Dynasty great lyricist Xin Qiji has "phoenix Xiao sound, jade pot light turn, one night fish and dragon dance" of the poem, said by people dancing dragon lanterns. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the dragon lantern dance was even more popular. According to the Qing dynasty Daoguang years, "Shanghai City Years": "Tourists ring bamboo foil for cage-like, masked to paint, painted dragon scales on the top, with a head and tail, under the bearing to the wooden handle spinning dance, streets and alleys in front of the tutor for the lamps, must be the book, 'a bumper harvest, the government clear people happy'." Qing Heiqing Yao Yuan of "bamboo leaf Pavilion Miscellany" also contains: "this Yuanmingyuan under the first month of the fifth day, feast outside the clan, fireworks, turn the dragon lanterns. The system holds a pole, a pole on the horizontal pole, shaped like a d character. Horizontal pole at both ends, the Department of two red lights, according to the team circling, the difference between high and low, such as the dragon's turn. Less inclined to be neutral, upward arrangement of 'peace in the world' four words." Dragon lantern dance is not a festival of lights only, the Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and even a variety of temple fairs have this activity. In the traditional Chinese concept, the dragon is an auspicious beast, people use lamps to simulate the image of the dragon, is to take its meaning of good luck in addition to the evil.
Dragon
Dragon
Shandong Yinan Beizhai Village in the Eastern Han Dynasty late its paintings on the east wall of the tomb in the room of the music and dance of the hundred plays stone carvings, providing us with the Han Dynasty fish and dragon play the image of the information. Its dragon double horns, scale body, wings, long tail, back on a large round mouth with a bottle; bottle standing on a child playing the feathered man, holding a feather program with both hands to play with the long block. Before the dragon there is a left hand holding a short club, the right hand holding a drum to the dragon shaking people; after the dragon there is a left hand holding a whip, the right hand holding a drum to lift the pinch of the atmosphere of the people warmly. The shape of this dragon is very much like the form of a horse.
The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar for the Han Chinese "dragon head-raising festival". At this time when the hibernation, the spring equinox, folk custom that hibernation of the winter dragon in this day is raising the activity, the future of the rain will also be more up. Ming Shen Bung's "Wan Department Miscellany" has a record of "February draws the dragon, smoked hundreds of insects": "Wan people call February 2 for the dragon to carry the head. Villagers use ash from outside the door of the house and kitchen, circling around the water tank, called 'attracting the dragon back'. Pancakes are spread on the surface, and the bed is smoked to keep insects at bay." Because of the drought and little rain in the north of China, the introduction of the home, the figure is the wind and rain, so also ice produced "February 2, the dragon carries the head; big warehouse full, small warehouse flow" folk proverb. On this day, people eat dragon beard noodles, dragon scale pancakes, dragon ear cakes and so on.
The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar for the "Dragon Boat Festival". According to the Earth's branch of the projection, "five" for the "Wu", Mr. Wen Yiduo once called the Dragon Boat Festival "Dragon Festival". Dragon boat race is an important part of the Dragon Boat Festival, the ancient Royal Dragon Boat production is extremely luxurious, such as the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy to be painted by Li Song, "in the sky play in the water Cui" in the large dragon boat, the head, tail, scales are carved and decorated with gold, the boat built on the floor of the Terrace View, the threshold of the curve is set up on the Royal Seat, three paddles on each side of the momentum, majestic, brilliant.
Ancient imperial dress in the dragon robe. The Qing Dynasty General Zhi-Ware and clothing strategy" recorded: "the emperor's dragon robe, color with bright yellow, cotton lined gauze fur, but its time, the leader with stone green piece of gold and green, embroidered gold dragon nine, 12 chapters of the column, between the five strokes of the type of color to go. Collar before and after the positive dragon each one, the left and right lapel at each one, the sleeve end of the positive dragon each one, the lower part of the eight treasures Lishui train left and right open." In the Qing Dynasty generally embroidered nine dragons, but from the front or back are five dragons, with "nine or five" of the emperor's title. The lower end of the robe is arranged with many "water feet", embroidered water waves on the water, commonly known as "seawater Jiangya". Containing the symbolism of the unity of the river and mountain and the continuity of the symbolism of the unity of the river and mountain and the continuity of the symbolism.
Distributed in the south-central region of the Zhuang, Yao and southwest of the Hani tribe have "Dragon Festival". The Zhuang's Dragon Festival in the second month of the lunar calendar, the sacrifice, by the village of two or more families to take turns to bear the burden of sacrifice of chickens, pigs and other offerings. It is believed that killing pigs and sacrificing them to the dragon can keep people and animals safe. The Dragon Sacrifice Festival of the Yao people is held on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar, and the activities include seeking the soul of the valley, sacrificing to the Valley Mother, sacrificing to Pangu, sacrificing to the Jade Emperor, sacrificing to Shennong, etc. The sacrifices are made by the whole village. The offerings are pigs purchased at the expense of the whole village, and after the sacrifice, the whole village shares the food, and women are not allowed to participate in the ceremony. The Dong people in Guangxi are popular for playing dragon lanterns. With bamboo made of a 30-40 centimeters long dragon, dragon whiskers under a bag, in order to light candles, Lantern Festival night play. Play, set a table of eight immortals, two sides of the three knife people dancing around the table, jumping and playing, chasing each other, and then with rhythmic musical instruments, sound and color, very interesting.