On the fifteenth day of the first month, in addition to lanterns, lantern riddles, eating Lantern Festival, in our country there are dragon lanterns, lion dance, stilt walkers and other customs. Playing dragon lanterns, also known as "dragon dance", also known as "dragon lantern dance". It is a unique traditional folk entertainment in China. "Juggling dragon lanterns" in China's Han Dynasty folk has been quite common. Tang and Song dynasties "social fire" "dance team" performance, "play dragon lantern" has been a common form of performance. "Juggling dragon lantern" performance, there are "single-dragon theater beads" and "double-dragon theater beads" two kinds. In the play method, different styles, each with its own characteristics.
Editing this section of the customary heritage
Juggling dragon lanterns originated from people's superstitious belief in dragons, which has a history of more than 2,000 years. In ancient times, people prayed for the blessing of the dragon with the dragon dance in order to seek favorable weather conditions and a good harvest.
The custom of dragon dance has been carried forward by overseas Chinese. Whenever Chinese people have traditional festivals and major celebrations, they will dance lions and play dragon lanterns, presenting a strong oriental atmosphere. The ancient people of China created the image of the dragon for their good wishes. According to legend, the ancients called the dragon, phoenix, unicorn and tortoise as the four spirits. Beautifully shaped, colorful, rigid and flexible lines. In the long river of history shines a unique artistic luster. As early as in the Shang-Yin era, bronze and bone carving on the dragon pattern; Zhou Dynasty bronze dragon pattern has become more and more complete. "Playing dragon lanterns" in the Han Dynasty folk has been quite common. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, "social fire" and "dance team" performances, playing dragon lanterns was a common form of performance. Song Dynasty Wu Zimu "Dream Sorghum Records" recorded: the Southern Song Dynasty line capital Lin'an (now Hangzhou) "the night of the Lantern Festival ...... grass bound into a dragon, with a green screen cover grass, dense lamps and candles 10,000 lamps and candles, look at the winding as the shape of the two dragons."
Edit Folklore Prayer
In ancient times, people took the "dragon" as the embodiment of good luck, representing the wish for good weather, therefore, with the dragon dance to pray for the blessing of the dragon, in order to get good weather and a good harvest in all seasons. People dance with bamboo, iron knotting, outside with satin or cloth made of colorful dragons for fun, express cheerful mood, after folk artists continue to process manufacturing, to now "play dragon lantern" has developed into a form of perfect, with considerable performance skills and romanticism with the folk dance art, deep for the masses of people.
Edit this section of the artistic value
In the artistic creation, through the continuous processing and creation of folk artists, "playing dragon lanterns" has developed into a form of perfect, with considerable performance skills and romanticism, folk dance art, y for the masses to hear and see. Lion dance is also a traditional entertainment activity in the Lantern Festival. Lion dance is a traditional folk sports activity in China, which originated in the Three Kingdoms period and flourished in the North and South Dynasties. [1] The lion dance is divided into "Northern Lion Dance" and "Southern Lion Dance" in China. Nowadays, the lion dance not only appears in festivals, but also on the stage.
Edit this section of the performance form
The main props of the Dragon Lantern Juggling is the "dragon". Dragons are made of grass, bamboo, wood, paper and cloth, and the number of sections of the dragon is singular for good luck, with nine, eleven and thirteen sections of dragons, and up to twenty-nine sections of dragons. Fifteen or more sections of the dragon is more bulky, not suitable for dancing, the public for viewing, this dragon is particularly concerned about the decoration, has a high value of craftsmanship. There is also a "fire dragon", with bamboo gabions woven into a cylinder, forming a cage, paste transparent, beautiful dragon clothes, burning candles or oil lamps, night performances are very spectacular. There are two kinds of dragon lantern performances: "Single Dragon Playing with Pearls" and "Double Dragon Playing with Pearls". The dragon body consists of many sections, each section is about five feet apart, the first section is called a stall. Composition of the dragon body of the "section", generally are the number of single (such as nine, eleven and thirteen sections, etc.). The dragon's head part is also divided into light and heavy, generally weighing about thirty pounds. Candles are lit inside the dragon's beads, called "dragon lanterns", and those that are not lit are called "cloth dragons". In the method of playing, different styles in different parts of the world, each with its own characteristics. Juggling nine sections of the main focus on tricks, the more common movements are: dragon roaming, dragon head drilling crotch (wear flowers), head and tail drilling, dragon swinging tail and snake retreating skin and so on. No matter what kind of tricks are performed, the performer has to start with a broken step. Play eleven, thirteen sections of the dragon, the main performance of the dragon's movements, that is, the dragon chasing the red pearl flying jumps, suddenly high, like flying into the clouds; suddenly low, like into the sea breaking waves, meandering and moving, very beautiful. Rural dragon lanterns also have a habit, that is, not only in the village to play, but also to the village performances, to the town or the city wide streets, squares to "race performance". Whenever the New Year to the Lantern Festival period, in the continuous sound of gongs and drums, the sound of firecrackers, each folk "dragon dance" team to show their skills, attracting thousands of people