What are the customs of Putian Lantern Festival?

No matter Spring Festival or Lantern Festival, it is undoubtedly one of our biggest traditional festivals. Different regions have different beliefs and customs. To celebrate the Lantern Festival in Putian, the most indispensable thing is to put a brown sedan chair. Next, Bian Xiao introduces the custom of putting brown sedan chairs on Putian Lantern Festival. Welcome to reading.

Introduction of putting brown sedan chair in Putian Lantern Festival custom;

Swinging brown sedan chair is an ancient Han folk activity in Putian City, Fujian Province, which belongs to the Lantern Festival. People gathered around the burning bonfire, and the performers carried the "sedan chair" made of brown material, followed the steps of the sedan chair and the jumping steps of the rocking sedan chair, and with the slow sound of gongs and drums when time was pressing, they lifted and dropped the sedan chair again and again, running around and jumping around. It has pinned the good wishes of the working people of the Han nationality to exorcise evil spirits, avoid disasters and pray for blessings.

No one can tell the origin of the custom of placing a brown sedan chair, except that it is more sacred and solemn. Putting a brown sedan chair in front of a raging fire has an original mysterious aura, which is often combined with various folk customs, religions, sacrifices, weddings and funerals. The Lantern Festival of the Han nationality in Putian is different from other areas. The "orthodox" Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, while the Putian Lantern Festival lasts from the sixth day of the first lunar month to the end of the month.

Swinging the brown sedan chair not only entertains the gods, but also entertains people, with certain sports action elements. With the rhythm of gongs and drums, performers walk or jump, or sit in a sedan chair or shake a sedan chair, which is a unique physical activity, with leg movements, arm and trunk movements, straight line movements and curved movements.

Moreover, performers and onlookers echoed each other in the activity and expressed their feelings incisively and vividly, which not only brought visual impact, but also caused spiritual shock. While enjoying life, people express their admiration for God.

People's enthusiasm was aroused and the crowd boiled. At this time, performers and onlookers can't tell who is who. This exaggerated body language aims to express admiration for God.

On the custom of Putian Lantern Festival;

Lantern Festival is an important folk festival in Putian, which is bigger than the Spring Festival and lasts for a long time (because the time in each village is different, the earliest eighth day is the 29th day of the first month).

Before liberation, on the Lantern Festival night, the village's palace society decorated lanterns, set up a "banquet table", folded cakes, and the villagers carried bodhisattva statues. When the procession traveled all over the country, families set up incense tables in the hall. When the parade passes by, they light candles, set off firecrackers, burn firewood and make "tributes" to pray for peace and happiness for a year, commonly known as "invitation banquet".

After cleaning up the furniture, the housewives took the embers home and poured them into the stove, indicating that they would be more prosperous in the coming year. In the evening, lanterns, "brown sedan chairs" (jumping fire) and dragon and lion dances continued until dawn. Some villages also "make greenhouses" (several classes of actors perform large-scale historical dramas).

Some villages celebrate the Lantern Festival in a very special way. For example, in Guangfuzai village on the outskirts of Chengxiang District, the festival is celebrated from 5 am to 6 am on the 13th day of the first month. Every household takes out a wok and "rakes" it in the yard, which is a holiday.