Binyang Gulong Festival

Binyang Gulong Festival

Binyang Gulong Festival is a unique traditional festival in Binyang County, Guangxi. It is a comprehensive folk festival that integrates Han and Zhuang cultures. It has distinct and strong national color. It is held on the eleventh day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year.

Binyang Gulong Festival has a long history and different origins, but the most festive one is that it originated from the war between Diqing and Nong Zhigao in Kunlun in Song Dynasty. In the fifth year of Song Huangyou (1053 A.D.), Di Qing, a famous general of Song Dynasty, ordered a banquet for three days on the eve of the Lantern Festival to paralyze Nong Zhigao, the leader of the Zhuang Nationality who rebelled according to the customs. He also made soldiers dance and called on the people to sing firecrackers and celebrate Carnival in every household. In the second drum of the night, Di Qing led the elite soldiers to raid Kunlun Pass and seize Kunlun Pass in the third drum. The residents of Pennsylvania City believe that the dragon dance is auspicious. Every year at this time, the dragon dance is necessary for celebration. Carnival has been going on and has been spreading to this day.

Binyang Artillery Dragon Festival includes games, lantern festivals, artillery dragon dancing and other activities. The artillery dragon dance was ordered by the commander-in-chief (also known as the head of the assembly). All the dragon dancers went to battle barefoot and wore hats like those of the officers and soldiers of the Qing Dynasty (all made of bamboo and smeared with black). The artillery dragon opens its way with dragon beads, dragon cards, gongs and drums, and civil and military fields. Lighting and Dragon Guard teams follow the dragon head and tail. Wherever the artillery dragon goes, each family greets each other in a corridor. They take out the firecrackers prepared beforehand and set them off and throw them at the artillery dragon. There is the saying that "the sound of guns does not stop, the dragon dance does not stop", so it is called the gun dragon. The artillery dragon is scheduled to open at 7:00 p.m. in the temple or in the community. The head of the assembly (or the teacher) bites the crown of the cock and lights the longan with the blood of the crown. Only then can all the artillery fire together and the Dragon leap up.

In recent years, "Bailong Dance Pennsylvania" and other special brands have attracted many tourists from home and abroad to participate, which is called "Oriental Carnival".

On June 7, 2008, Binyang Gulong Festival was approved by the State Council to be included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

historical origin

Traditional artillery dragon dances year by year, and traditional artillery dragon dances year by year. The artillery dragon dance in Binyang was bred in Song and Yuan Dynasty, developed, formed in Ming Dynasty and matured in the late Qing and Republic of China. In the development history of thousands of years, it has formed the characteristics of long history, rich cultural connotation, the intergrowth of foreign culture and local culture, and the enthusiasm of people's participation. It not only has the unique research value of Chinese dragon culture, but also has the ability to meet people's disaster relief. The spiritual value of the psychological needs of prayer.

According to reports, during the uprising of Nong Zhigao in the Northern Song Dynasty, Sanlian Du District was the seat of Binyang Palace. At that time, the officers and soldiers fought fiercely with the insurgents nearby, but they did not win or lose. So the officers and soldiers came up with a way: on the eleventh day of January, the whole city set up a cannon dragon and lantern festival, while the residents of the city celebrated the Lantern Festival ahead of time, and there was a festive and peaceful atmosphere in the city. Nong Zhigao was confused when he found out the news. He thought that there would be no military action on the other side during the festival. He relaxed his vigilance and was defeated by the raid by the officers and soldiers. Since then, local residents have regularly celebrated the Gulong Festival every year.

After the 1980s, people's living standards in Binyang have improved, and the scale of Gulong Festival is even larger. In 1993, the Binyang County Committee and the County People's Government held a grand reception for the Guelong Festival, inviting more than 200 leaders and overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan compatriots, foreign experts and professors from various departments, departments, commissions, offices, bureaus, banks, companies and military districts in Guangxi, as well as overseas Chinese in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as foreign experts and professors in China. This year, the Gulong Festival is the most solemn and grand one in history. There are 28 Gulong festivals. They have traveled all over 12 streets of the city, and they are very busy. In 2007, in order to show Binyang's long history and profound cultural heritage, unique and rich folk customs, and set off the distinctive brand of artillery dragon culture, Binyang County Committee and County Government decided to hold the Bailong Dance Pennsylvania Artillery Dragon Festival.

Festival activities

Originated in the Northern Song Dynasty, Binyang Artillery Dragon Festival, is known as the "Carnival of China", held every year on the eleventh day of the first lunar month. In the evening, the main streets were dancing vigorously with firecrackers. Each artillery dragon is thirty or forty meters long and is regarded as a New Year god. The main activities are as follows:

Lighting ceremony

At the beginning of the ceremony, a grandmother took a chicken, broke the cockscomb, dipped the blood in the pen, painted the dragon's eyes and tongue, and then began to dance the dragon.

Surprisingly, dragon dancers are naked. After the ceremony, firecrackers were fired at the dragon body and firecrackers were thrown at the Dragon body. The crackling firecrackers were thrown at the dragon body from all directions, while the bare-chested dragon dancers were quick to avoid dragon dancing. At the Gulong Temple, twenty dragons moved left and right and began to march towards the surrounding streets. Everywhere, countless dragon-dynamites closely followed; every family also fired firecrackers from the top of the house, and from high altitude, dragon dancers kept running and dodging. According to reports, firecrackers and dragons are mainly to pray for good weather, prosperity and peace in the coming year. While the artillery dragon was dancing in the cannon light, many bold tourists crowded around the artillery dragon, waiting for the opportunity to drill the belly of the dragon. Legend has it that drilling a dragon's belly can bring good luck for a year; couples who work together to drill a dragon's belly can get married, so many people are happy to drill a dragon's belly. After the Dragon passed, many residents were still in high spirits. Some men wore a string of firecrackers around their necks. They played acrobatics in the street, lit firecrackers, rotated a few times over their heads, and then threw them into the air. Many women also "don't let their eyebrows be shattered" after lighting firecrackers, like dancing, in situ rotating a few laps, and then unhurriedly throw the firecrackers being fired into the air and the ground.

After the Dragon dance, people burned the tap which had been blown up by firecrackers as firewood, then set up a big pot on it, put rice and various spices in the pot, boiled it into "dragon porridge" for everyone to drink, to comfort the warriors who danced the dragon. It is said that dragon porridge can go to all diseases, happiness and health.

Lottery rack

Game rack is a parade. The parade queue is composed of colour platform, dragon dance, lion dance, colour lamp, music cabinet and so on. The queue is half a mile or more long. It is opened by lion team, dragon dance and tail protection. There are four colour shelves in the middle, each with a set of civil and military fields (bands). Each color rack is carried by four people on their shoulders. On the stage, several children are decorated with the image of a particular scene. Each person is sitting on a special finger or on small props such as umbrellas, fans, swords, bows and knives, which are ingeniously assembled and interesting.

Time: 11:18 a.m.

Eight male divisions are sometimes empty and sometimes shaking their heads in the bursts of gongs, drums, laughter and singing of the audience.

"Color rack, come on!" In the applause of the citizens, six color racks finally "call for a thousand calls to start out". First of all, there were two color racks in the South Street community of Binyang, "Lotus Blossom Fragrance" and "Great War Hongzhou". Then, on the "Manna Man Man Man Man Man" color rack of the benevolent community, the Guanyin girls wore gauze clothes and waved "Xiancao" to sprinkle a drop of manna; and the color rack of the three communities was "Liang Zhu Marriage" and "Three Sisters Pass Love".

During the parade, 4, 8 and 10 sets are usually installed, accompanied by dragon dancing, lion dancing, lanterns, music cabinets and so on. The team is 250 to 500 meters long. Each color rack is carried by four people on their shoulders. On the color rack, there are several children dressing up the image of a particular situation, or sitting or standing. There are also small props such as sword, bow, knife in their hands, which are ingeniously assembled and colorful.

Light eating wine

Eating light and wine is an important traditional custom for the people of Binyang to celebrate the Cannon Dragon Festival. It's also the eleventh day of the first month. "Erigeron is in full bloom, and the wine is intoxicating." This is the ancient poem praising the Binyang Lantern and Wine Festival. It also depicts the beautiful scenery of the prosperous Taiping Dynasty celebrating the festival. Lighting and wine is "Ding Jiu" originally. In order to celebrate, people who like your son (also known as "Tin Ding") offer good dishes, such as castrated chicken, to invite their neighbors to celebrate together. At the same time, families who wish to attend are also thriving, and the cause of your son is thriving in the coming year. "Ding Jiu" is still what people said before the Northern Song Dynasty, "Ding Jiu", but it gives people more new ideas such as contacting feelings, planning and creating a better future.

The Lantern Festival is commonly known as "Lighting and Drinking Club". The activities include drinking in the countryside and taking lanterns. Rural drinking takes villages and alleys as units, and the parents of the last year's male students (commonly known as Baihua) act as "the head person" to raise "Ding" and take charge of all affairs. Everyone gathered in ancestral halls or village communities to discuss agricultural production, announce village rules and regulations, and then have dinner. Taking the lamp means "seeking heirs and getting ding". Before the Lantern festival, the lamp collector chooses three men and two women as his "father-in-law holding flowers" and a "mother-in-law holding flowers" who is good at mountain songs. He reports the intention of taking the lamp to the head of the Lantern festival. The head of the Lantern Festival asks for someone to make a "lotus lamp" with exquisite Kirin stickers. On the same day, the lantern fetching ceremony was held in social temples or ancestral temples. The "father-in-law holding flowers" carried the "lotus lantern" and the people, under the guidance of the "leader", beat gongs and drums to send the Lantern fetchers.

Dance cannon

The artillery dragon dance is the climax of the whole artillery dragon festival, which mainly includes the activities of lighting, dragon dance, artillery dragon dance, dragon delivery and so on.

Light up. At 7 o'clock on the evening of January 11 (PM19:00), the cannon dragon was lit in the temple or in the community.

Lighting ceremony

Time: 7 p.m.

At 6:40 p.m. that evening, people and tourists rushed from all directions to the open spot of the Gulong Temple in the old street to see the artillery dragon dance. The magnificent temple was a sea of people.

Only one white-bearded dragon was seen covering his eyes. Hundreds of policemen maintained order. In front of the door of Paolong Temple, a priest held a chicken and waited for the light to shine; incense and incense were curling in the corner beside him, and people went to burn incense from time to time; many cameras and cameras waited long ago.

It's 7 p.m.

"Open up!" The Kaiguang priest shouted. Crowds like a boiled pot, one after another rush to the bright spot, so that the crowd at the bright spot confusion, almost out of control.

Two young men danced beads and treasure beads, leading the tap close to the window to light up. The priest who took the chicken bit the feather crest of the chicken with his mouth, then applied the blood to the Dragon beads contained in the dragon's mouth, and another presiding officer in the old temple tore the cloth covering the chicken's eyes. When the tap was up and the priest took the chicken to paint the longan, the crowd standing under the window rushed under the tap and reached out to grab the dragon's whisker. After applying chicken blood to the eyes of Giant Dragon with White Beard, he turned away with his head up high. "Clap", firecrackers sounded in all directions, Dragon King danced wildly, firecrackers sounded throughout the sky.

After the opening ceremony, 11 streets, including Zhongxing, Yongwu, Tongren, Fengjiang, Taiping and Ren Ai, located in Lukui Town, Binyang County Town, were opened by dragon, gongs and drums, eight tones (Suona, Beijing Hu, Erhu, Dahu, Qinqin, gongs and drums, cymbals and wooden fish).

Dragon dance. Gunlong opens the road with dragon beads, dragon cards (dragon lanterns), gongs and drums, and civil and military fields. Lighting (torch lights) and dragon guards follow the dragon head and tail, while the fire brigade is responsible for firing gunpowder and increasing the trend of dragon rising with the clouds.

Dance cannon. "Firecracker Dragon" means to set off "firecracker" bullets to burn the dragon of wild dance. The more guns are fired, the longer the Dragon stops in front of his house, the more auspicious it is. People believe that the festival implies praying for good weather, prosperous business and the joy of adding noble children.

Dragons. The artillery dragon dance goes to the village head and the street end. The dragon dance team concentrates on the designated place. The traditional dragon-sending ceremony is held by the head of the meeting. Then the dragon is burned by fire and sent to heaven.

Deep fried Dragon

Time: In the evening, from 19:00 to the next morning, the sound of gunfire was deafening, the air was filled with strong odor of gunpowder. The torch was waving at the moment. Linpu Street in front of the Buddha Guang Temple was a fire of joy. At this time, the crowd was cheering here. The tireless tourists stretched their necks to watch for fear of missing every wonderful shot.

Dragon dancers wear rattan hats, belts and bare arms, allowing firecrackers to explode around them. Gun helps Longxing, dragon relies on gun power, 18 dragons sometimes hold their heads high and shoot a flame into the sky; sometimes they swing and gallop, reflecting each other with brilliant big golden beads. A string of electro-optical firecrackers, earth-shaking crisp sound, for the dragon to cheer.

Drilling dragon stomach

Wherever the artillery dragon went, every household greeted each other and took out the firecrackers prepared in advance and set them off. Some families buy hundreds of thousands of firecrackers and hang down from their fourth floor. It takes at least 20 minutes to set them off. The artillery dragon danced around in the overwhelming firecrackers, kowtowing blessings to every household. There is an unwritten local rule that when the firecrackers in this family are not finished, the artillery dragon can not go to another family to dance, so it is often an all-night, artillery dragon danced across a street.

When the dragon was dancing in the cannon light, people crowded into the corridor one after another, waiting for the opportunity to "drill the dragon's belly", that is, to pass under the dragon's belly. Legend has it that drilling a dragon's belly can bring good luck for a year: adults are successful in their careers and their families are happy; if young couples work hand in hand to drill a dragon, they will surely get married and grow old together in this life. Drilling dragon belly not only gives people a sense of excitement to travel in the sound and light of guns, but also because it places people's yearning for a better life... Dancing dragon body, the sound of firecrackers, adults, young people, children shuttle around the Dragon body, leisurely, completely ignoring the sound of firecrackers exploding around.

Robbing Dragon Balls

Everything in the dragon's body represents good luck: a few silk dragon beards are pulled down and tied to the livestock pen, so that the livestock can be disease-free and disease-free; a small piece of dragon skin is pulled to ensure that you have a good harvest; the most auspicious thing is to get the Pearl in the mouth of the dragon, so that the merchants can prosper and make a good fortune. Therefore, people spare no effort to "snatch dragon beads" to win a good omen of a year.

According to the local people, when the artillery dragon moved to the end of the street, the whole dragon had only skeleton and tendons. At that time, the elders of the clan directed people to set fire, played eight tones, and threw the Dragon into the fire, so that it would rise with the flaming fire. This is called "sending the dragon to heaven". So far, the dragon dance would be over. People set up a big pot of rice, meat, and materials to cook a big pot of "dragon porridge" to comfort the warriors who dance dragon, and people from all walks of life came to share "dragon porridge". It is said that drinking "dragon porridge" can relieve pain and relieve illness. It was also bright.

The artillery dragon knot has a history of 150 years. The dragon is larger than the common coloured dragon, with simple mounting, 7 sections short and 11 sections long. The dragon is 30-40 meters long. The dragon head and tail are made of bamboo strips, sandpaper and coloured cloth. Before dancing, donations, preparations and posters of LongLu (i.e. invitations and invitations to families of all units in the city) are usually initiated by the organizing units. Please add luster to the fireworks on that day. At dusk, whether it is dragon dancers or artillery shooters, whether they are fellow villagers or guests, they rush from all directions to each bright spot, excitedly waiting for the moment of light. When lifting a dance, the organizing unit first holds the opening ceremony (which can be divided into several points). When the light is on, the commander-in-chief sends out three signal bombs on time. The exciting light moment suddenly appears. Dozens of dragons at various light spots pay homage to the sky and the earth at the same time. Tens of thousands of guns burst into flames, dragon Carnival and thunder. The whole county has turned into a city of artillery dragon and brilliant city. After the opening, the percussion instruments such as dragon, Gong and drum, eight tones (Haona, Beijing Hu, Erhu, Dahu, Qinqin) and other orchestral instruments, such as big and small gongs and drums, cymbals and wooden fish, were used to open the road. Fireworks and torches were held aloft to follow each other and gradually along the pre-arranged dragon road. Dragon dancers can be divided into several sets of horses and men, and take turns to dance. They wear Teng hats, wear waistbands, and go into battle with as many firecrackers as they like. Look, guns help Longxing, dragon relies on gun power, that dragon wearing a golden dragon robe, sometimes high-headed, spraying a group of auspicious flames into the sky, sometimes shaking Pentium, and the brilliant golden pearls play together, a string of electric light firecrackers, shocking to the earth, to cheer the dragon. Every time the artillery dragon arrives at every household and unit, it will be welcomed with sufficient firecrackers and bamboos in advance. Wherever the artillery dragon arrives, firecrackers burst in unison, fireworks are riotous, thousands of heads are gathered, drums are cheerful and lively. Every artillery dragon has to wait for the firecrackers to stop before they can dance forward. Some families set off thousands of firecrackers, some hundreds of thousands of firecrackers. Dragon dancing must be carried along the streets and alleys originally invited until all the streets have been danced. The dragon dance usually lasts for days and nights, and the firecrackers are singing for a long time. It can also last for two days and nights. Dragon dancers (horses) are not afraid of fatigue, do not sleep day and night, and stick to the end. If a gun dragon is destroyed by gunfire, no matter how many dragons are present. On the Fire Dragon Festival, people can see thousands of people in the streets and alleys of the whole city praising, firecrackers roaring, fog soaring, bamboo light reflecting the red city, the streets are covered with firecrackers, paper scraps and gunpowder dust.

The reason why Binyang artillery dragon can last forever lies in the local people's belief that the artillery dragon dance can invite auspicious prosperity. When dancing artillery dragon that night, many people take their children and grandchildren to drill "dragon belly" for good luck. Please dance artillery Dragon into their own house, which is more auspicious. Some people are eager for their children, and have ordered "Dragon Balls" privately with the Dragon Team in order to make a fortune.

The secret of dragon cannon

Binyang people have special feelings for firecrackers. They think that firecrackers represent "good luck with red fire". Therefore, the people who set off firecrackers and those who are bombed are "one who wants to fight and one who wants to suffer". Surprisingly, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people participated in the carnival, Carnival without chaos, continuous joy, for many years, few safety incidents occurred. It is reported that the first reason is that on the night of the Dragon Festival, special firecrackers were set off, called "Dragon Gun", which is a special product of the local Dragon Festival. Each "dragon gun" charge does not exceed 0.02 grams, so its power is limited, even if it is exploded on the skin, it can only form skin wounds. It won't hurt very much after the explosion, and it will heal itself after three days, because the sulfur and other substances contained in firecrackers are effective, so is the secret that "dragon cannon" won't hurt people. Moreover, it is a good local tradition that firecrackers are voluntarily thrown into safety zones. It is these factors that make this traditional festival lasting and lasting, and become China's national intangible cultural heritage.

Because setting off small firecrackers will not cause great harm to the body, so there is an old rule in Binyang Dance Firecracker Dragon: the explosion dragon can only set off "dragon guns" (small firecrackers), can not amplify firecrackers. If they were found to amplify the firecrackers, they would be "segregated" by the Dragon guards. Around each artillery dragon, there is a "dragon guard team". They are all powerful men with torches. Besides dragon guards, they also maintain the order of the scene. For example, to prevent the use of unregulated firecrackers to blow up dragons, to prevent people from getting too close to the dragons and being injured by the explosion, in case of emergency, dragon guards will also deal with it immediately. Therefore, the whole artillery Dragon Festival can be lively but orderly, personnel safety.

Folk heritage

In the past, there were only a few dragons in the whole county, but now many communities have their own professional Zhalong people. Millennium "Gulong" has brought more folklore upsurge while inheriting and protecting. Shigong Opera, Eight-tone Wenwuchang, Tea Picking Opera, Stilts Walking, Folk Songs and other folk arts with Binyang characteristics have been integrated into the festival.

In 2014, Nanning (Binyang) - Tainan (Saltwater) Double Gun Cultural Exchange Initiation Ceremony was solemnly held at Gulong Lao Temple in Binyang County on January 16. On February 10, saltwater bee cannon will perform in Binyang. On February 14, Lantern Festival, Binyang artillery dragon will go to Taiwan again to participate in Tainan saltwater bee cannon activities. The Binyang touring rack, an autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage, will first appear on Baodao. It is "Liu Sanjie" colorful rack with the theme of Guangxi folklore and "Gunlong Xiongfeng" colorful rack with the charm of Binyang artillery dragon. In 2014, the artillery dragon exchanges in Taiwan mainly focused on highlighting folk art. The artillery dragon was painted by hand with reflective pigments. Some crafts such as "dragon ridge" and "dragon skirt" were added to make the artillery dragon more lifelike.

Activity impact

Nowadays, the influence of Gulong Festival is gradually expanding, and it has formed some special brands such as "Bailong Dance in Pennsylvania". The activities are becoming more and more diversified, and the special folk customs such as "Game Frame" are also joined in, which strongly promotes the development of local folk culture.

In February 2010, two Binyang artillery dragons participated in the Singapore Spring Festival "International Cosmetic Parade", which made many overseas Chinese feel strong Chinese flavor. In recent years, Binyang Artillery Dragon and Taiwan Tainan Bee Gun have built an exchange platform, and held three consecutive Nanning (Binyang) - Tainan (brine) "double artillery" exchange series activities.