Lantern Festival (Mawei Mazu Lantern Festival custom)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Lantern Festival (Mawei Mazu Lantern Festival custom)

Applicant: Mawei District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province

Item No.: 978

Project No.: Ⅹ - 71

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Fujian Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Mawei District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province

Protection units: cultural center of Mawei District, Fuzhou City (Majiang theater), Mazu economic and Trade Cultural Exchange Association

Lantern Festival (Mawei Mazu Lantern Festival custom)

Applicant: Mawei District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province

Lantern Festival, also known as "Shangyuan Festival", "Yuanxi Festival" and "Lantern Festival", is a traditional Chinese festival, which is popular all over the country. In China, the first month of the lunar calendar is Yuanyue, which is called "Xiao" in ancient times. Therefore, the 15th day of the first full moon in a year is called "Yuanxiao Festival".

Since the Han Dynasty, China has been lighting lanterns on the Lantern Festival, which has gradually developed into a custom. In the Tang Dynasty, this custom became more popular. The sentence "fire trees and silver flowers, star bridges and iron locks open" describes the grand occasion of the Lantern Festival in Chang'an. In the Ming Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become an important part of people's life, and it will enjoy lanterns continuously for 10 days. In the Qing Dynasty, the Lantern Festival is a folk festival enjoyed by all the people, Fireworks and firecrackers will be set off during the lantern watching activities.

There are also some traditional activities in the Lantern Festival: one is "guessing lantern riddles", also known as "playing lantern riddles", which first appeared in the Song Dynasty. The riddles are to be guessed and the winner will be awarded; the other is to eat yuanxiao, which was originally known as "fuyuanzi", also known as "tangtuan" or "Tangyuan", a spherical food made of glutinous rice flour. It is filled with stuffing and eaten after being cooked in water, Eating Lantern Festival symbolizes the family reunion, harmony and happiness. The Lantern Festival in some places also has the custom of "walking through all kinds of diseases", also known as "baking all kinds of diseases" and "dispersing all kinds of diseases". People walk together on the Lantern Festival, or cross the bridge with each other, or go to the suburbs, symbolizing the elimination of diseases and disasters, peace and prosperity. Since modern times, traditional performances such as playing dragon lantern, playing lion, walking on stilts, rowing dry boat, twisting Yangko, playing Taiping drum and so on have been added to the Lantern Festival activities, which makes the Lantern Festival have a new development in the inheritance.

The Lantern Festival, which has a history of more than 2000 years, is not only popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also highly valued in overseas Chinese communities. In addition to the Han nationality, Manchu, Korean, Hezhe, Mongolian, Daur, Ewenki, Oroqen, Hui, Xibo, Tibetan, Bai, Naxi, Miao, Yao, she, Zhuang, Buyi, Li, Gelao and other ethnic minorities also celebrate the Lantern Festival, with their own characteristics.

Mawei and Mazu are located on both sides of the Minjiang Estuary, less than 100 nautical miles apart. Since ancient times, the residents of the two places have had the festival custom of sending and making lanterns during the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival. The origin of this custom is related to an ancient legend on both sides of the Minjiang Estuary. It is said that a long time ago, the Third Prince of the Jade Emperor broke heaven's rules because of fighting against injustice. He was demoted to the world and became a fisherman. He shared the joys and sorrows with the people in the East China Sea. In order to help the fishermen drive away evil spirits and eliminate disasters, he fought with the Third Prince of the Dragon King. In a rage, the Jade Emperor sent his heavenly soldiers to arrest him and put his head in mazu'ao between Huangqi Peninsula and Mazu archipelago after being tortured for three parts. On the 11th of the first month, fishermen on the peninsula held the head of the Third Prince of the Jade Emperor back to the shore and set up an altar to honor him as the God of the sea. Since then, every first month, fishermen will spontaneously paste the head lamp of Poseidon and raise a fire to accompany them all night before and after the Lantern Festival. This activity has been passed on for generations and has gradually become the custom of Mawei and Mazu, implying the meaning of praying for peace and prosperity.

Since the reform and opening up, people to people exchanges between the two sides of the Strait have been continuously strengthened, and Mazu residents and overseas Chinese have returned home to seek their roots. Fuzhou Mawei economic and cultural exchange and cooperation center and Mazu economic, trade and Cultural Exchange Association on the other side of the Strait inherit the tradition and jointly hold Mawei Mazu Lantern Festival. Before the 15th day of the first month of each year (about the 11th day of the first month), Mawei will ship all kinds of lanterns to Mazu islands. The Mawei economic and cultural exchange and cooperation center also carried out various forms of folk cultural exchange activities, sending Spring Festival couplets and Fujian opera to the villagers of Mazu Island, holding calligraphy, painting and photography exhibitions, while the villagers of Mazu went across the Strait to the mainland to attend the Mawei Lantern Festival on the Lantern Festival. Every year on the night of the Lantern Festival, Mawei and Mazu are brightly lit, with a sea of people, fireworks and firecrackers, and the dancing teams on the street. The lively atmosphere deeply infects everyone who is on the scene. In particular, the "two horses" side-by-side lanterns are exquisitely made, which have profound implications and are very eye-catching, and fully reflect the good wishes of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait for unity and reunification.

Chinese PinYin : Yuan Xiao Jie Ma Wei Ma Zu Yuan Xiao Jie Su