"I hope the whole family is safe and healthy, and all the best." With the Lantern Festival approaching, many residents of Zhujing Town, Jinshan, walked together, holding flower lanterns and walking across the three bridges of "Fu", "Lu" and "Shou" in the Donglin Temple, a 4A-class scenic spot, in order to pin their common expectations and good wishes for a better life.
It is reported that "walking the three bridges" is an old custom in Wudi, and the "Qing Jia Lu", which records the seasonal customs of Suzhou and nearby areas during the Daoguang years of the Qing Dynasty, records such a passage: On New Year's Eve, women walk at night, but they are sick, and they must go through the three bridges, which is called walking the three bridges. Zhujing is located in jiangnan water town, the river is dense, the canal is longitudinal, the custom of "walking three bridges" continues to this day, the names of the three bridges in the Donglin Temple scenic area are auspicious, promoted, longevity, just like the "Fulu Shou" three stars to protect life, in the Lantern Festival, many Zhujing citizens will choose to come to these three bridges to take a walk, pray for the peace and smoothness of the new year.
It is not only a celebration of the Lantern Festival, but also a riot. Walking through the "Three Bridges" is not far from Chuanziyuan Park, a fun "Fuhu Spring Happy Lantern Festival" 2022 Zhujing Town Lantern Festival Folk Culture Market theme activities are being held here.
Picture: Guess the lantern riddle Zhujing town courtesy of the picture (the same below)
"I know the mystery, it must be the 'spoon'." Chen Yifan, a 7-year-old child, said excitedly with the mysterious face of "little white pigeon, lying on the table, you pull its tail, it kisses your mouth". In the interactive area of guessing lantern riddles in the park promenade, a "brainstorming" allowed the citizens to harvest knowledge and harvest surprises between laughter and laughter.
Illustration: Paint sugar painting
In the folk intangible cultural heritage activity experience area, folk craftsmen set up stalls to "pass on the scriptures and teach art", including flower lanterns, paper cuts, gourd paintings, tea tasting, and sugar paintings... The citizens not only experienced the fun of folk traditional handicrafts, but also stimulated a sense of identity and love for traditional Chinese culture. Ms. Li, who lives nearby, learned that there was an activity today, and brought her daughter early, "Several of our parents came with their children, knowing that today is a folk theme, and specially let the children wear Hanfu, the children were 'dropped into the honey pot', made small tiger flower lanterns, ate 'ice pier' sugar paintings, guessed the riddle and received the prize, and were very happy." ”
Pictured: Flower lantern making
Eating tangyuan represents reunion and is an inseparable sense of ceremony for the Lantern Festival. The steaming tangyuan stalls are surrounded by "diners" waiting for the pot, the white and fat tangyuan tumbles in the water, there are salty and sweet, are the "old taste" that the locals are accustomed to eating, and the citizens who pass by can taste it for free, and the delicate and soft taste is wrapped between the lips and teeth, carrying the fragrant memory of the Lantern Festival.
"Eating tangyuan, watching the drama, and the Hanfu children who run and jump through from time to time, it really feels a bit of a crossing." Mr. Wang, a citizen, said with a smile. Looking at the central square of the park, a classic opera singing is being staged, and the Yue opera "Dream of the Red Chamber" excerpt "Golden Jade Liangyuan", the Shanghai opera "Great Thunderstorm" excerpt "People Hope to Become Double Moons And Hope Round" and other programs have come out one after another, so that fans of big and small dramas have seen it and clapped their hands and applauded.
Traditional folk games are also the standard for "Lantern Festival". In a corner of The Boat Edge Park, a pot throwing competition is in the process of being contested, and the participating citizens throw arrows into the pot, and the one who hits more wins. As a game that evolved from the ancient liturgical system, the citizens played with mutual humility and tolerance. At the scene, traditional games such as cockfighting and kicking shuttlecocks also attracted many citizens to participate, and everyone recalled their childhood in the competition.
It has been said that the Lantern Festival is the end of the Year, and the folk culture feast in the "Lantern Festival" in Zhujing Town, from the senses of taste, touch, vision and other senses, allows the citizens to immerse themselves in the fun of the traditional custom of "Making the Lantern", and also feel the strong New Year flavor of the water town.
Correspondent Yao Danping Xinmin Evening News reporter Tu Yu