Editor's Note
Firecrackers, lion and dragon dances, lantern festivals... Since ancient times, in order to welcome the jubilee and pray for a good year, people have held many colorful and national activities during the New Year, which has also spawned the prosperity of traditional skills and folklore in various places.
Light up the festive lights to welcome the Happy New Year. Yongcheng folk have always had the custom of holding lantern festivals. In this issue, we will follow in the footsteps of the inheritors, detail the representative project of the intangible cultural heritage of the autonomous region - nanning Lantern Festival, and feel the colorful New Year of the ancient City of Yongcheng.
Nanning Lantern Festival
Category: Folklore
Level: Representative items of intangible cultural heritage at the autonomous region level
Batch: Fifth batch
Region:Guangxi · Nanning
Nanning Lantern Festival is a folk lantern custom activity held in Nanning during the 15th Lantern Festival of the first month, it is widely popular in the urban area of Nanning City and surrounding areas, in Jiangnan District Pineapple Ridge community area is extremely popular, the festival activities are very rich, including making flower lanterns, displaying flower lanterns, guessing lantern riddles and so on. In 2014, the Nanning Lantern Festival was approved by the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and was selected into the fifth batch of intangible cultural heritage list at the autonomous region level.
The Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, is a traditional festival in China, which originated from the "lighting of the lamp to worship the Buddha" during the Ming Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and flourished in the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties. The Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Hu once wrote in "The Fifteenth Night Lamp of the First Month": "A thousand doors are unlocked and ten thousand lights are bright, and the imperial capital is moved in the middle of the first month." It can be seen that since ancient times, the Lantern Festival is inseparable from the lanterns, and activities such as displaying lanterns and guessing lantern riddles have greatly enriched the way of celebrating the Lantern Festival, and have gradually integrated into it, evolving into the Lantern Festival.
In 2014, residents of the Pineapple Ridge community hung riddles between the light lines for pedestrians to guess. Photo courtesy of Guangxi News Network
The custom of lanterns in Yongcheng was popular during the Qing Dynasty, and the number of colorful lanterns and the richness of shapes were once famous. In the urban area of Nanning City and the surrounding areas, pineapple ridge, Shizhuling, Wuyi Road in Jiangnan District and Shuijie, Jiefang Road, Renmin Road, Zhongshan Road and Xinhua Road in Xingning District are the most popular and have continued to this day. During the New Year's Festival, every household in Yongcheng makes flower lanterns and spontaneously hangs them in front of their homes, small trees on the street, street lamps and other places to celebrate the harvest and pray for good health.
From 1990 to 2018, the Pineapple Ridge community spontaneously held 28 consecutive Lantern Festivals during the Lantern Festival. Photo by Chen Siyu
In 2018, residents of the Pineapple Ridge community took their children to enjoy the lanterns at night and felt the festive cultural atmosphere. Photo by Chen Siyu
There are many kinds of lanterns in Nanning, common are traditional palace lamps, lotus lamps, pomegranate lamps, and series lamps. In addition, there are zodiac lights, bird and beast lights, cartoon shape lights, etc. made according to different years. The shape of the lantern is round, square, cylindrical, polygonal and so on. A variety of shapes and shapes are possessed, dazzling and dazzling, and full of light.
Polygonal flower lanterns with traditional palace lamps. The polygonal flower lantern is flexible in creation and has the meaning of auspicious joy. Traditional palace lamps take a long time to make, and are often used to pray for the blessings of the elders in the family. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
In the Zodiac, the dog is seen as a symbol of sincerity, bravery, and due diligence. Li Da made a dog lamp in the Year of the Dog in 2018, wishing the Year of the Dog a good day, peace and tranquility. Courtesy of Rida
"When I was very young, there were people making lanterns during the Lantern Festival." Li Bingsheng, the inheritor of the Nanning Lantern Festival, told reporters that the Pineapple Ridge community in Jiangnan District of Nanning City has always had the traditional folk custom of making flower lanterns, but due to the cumbersome production process of flower lanterns and the test of skills, only some old craftsmen used to make flower lanterns.
Li Bingsheng's son, Li Da, has been learning the art of making lanterns with his father since he was a child, and has been for more than 30 years. He told reporters that the Nanning Lantern Festival is very rich in activities, and handmade lanterns are the most time-consuming and energy-consuming links, which are of the deepest significance. One compilation and one fold, one stroke and one painting are integrated into the unique emotions and wishes of the producers, and a variety of lanterns have been achieved, making the Lantern Festival more colorful.
In 2014, residents of the Pineapple Ridge community made flower lanterns together, painted and inscribed on the lamps, and prayed for an auspicious new year. Photo courtesy of Guangxi News Network
The production of handmade flower lamps needs to go through several major steps of material selection, size, skeleton, paste paper, painting, commonly used materials are bamboo strips, rice paper, paste, candles, adhesive tape, tools have tape measures, scissors, pliers, brushes, etc., whether it is the selection of materials or the production process, it requires enough patience.
Flower lantern making materials and tools. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
The skeleton is the soul of the flower lamp. A complete skeleton is often assembled from several small skeletons of different shapes, carrying many tricks and details that laymen cannot see.
Cow lamp skeleton. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
"To make a small circular skeleton, you need to wrap the bamboo around the cylinder for several times, so that the bamboo will have a curvature, which is called 'bending'; to make a square skeleton, you need to measure the size with a tape measure to fix the point, wrap it in tape at the joint, and then gently fold the bamboo into ninety degrees with pliers, and finally fix it." Li Da told reporters that in ancient times, people often used fire to bake bamboo to make curvatures, and fixed wire was also used, but with the development of the times, these steps have gradually improved.
Rita was making a circular skeleton, using a cylinder to "bend" the bamboo strips to create curvatures. Lin Baoli filmed
Li Da was making a square skeleton, using pliers to bend the joints wrapped in adhesive tape, and the strength needed to be light, and the bamboo strips could not be broken. Lin Baoli filmed
After the individual skeleton is completed, it needs to be assembled at a fixed point to form a complete skeleton. Assembly seems to be easy, in fact, it is a test of the manufacturer's grasp of the size of the skeleton, a single skeleton must be unified in size, in order to be connected during assembly.
Rida assembles the fixed skeleton. Lin Baoli filmed
Formed rabbit lamp skeleton. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
The skeleton is "typed", and the paste paper is "shaped". Pasting paper on a skeleton of various shapes and curves is a delicate task. In order to make the paper more suitable for the skeleton, it is often necessary to use scissors to cut the edge of the paper into different small segments, sectional paste brush, and the dipping of the paste needs to be appropriate, so that it is not easy to paste the paper.
Rida gives the round skeleton paste paper. Lin Baoli filmed
The paper-covered rabbit lamp began to take shape. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
The flower lamp with the pasted paper generally needs to be naturally air-dried for 4 to 6 hours before it can be inscribed and painted, and the flower lamp becomes more complete after the "finishing touch" is modified.
Painted rabbit lights. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
Some of the finished lanterns made by the students in the art room of Pineapple Ridge Primary School have drawn the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, and some have written the core values of socialism, and the ancient skills have kept pace with the times in the classroom creation and have been continuously inherited and developed. Photo by Lin Baoli
"It takes at least half a day to make a small flower lantern, and more than half a year for a large one." Li Da told reporters that due to his father's advanced age, most of the lanterns are now made by him, and his father is on the side to guide.
Lai Bingsheng and his son Li Da made rabbit lamps together, and the skeleton was initially formed and came alive. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
"The flower lanterns that are made only need to be lit with candles in the middle of the skeleton, but now there are more electric bulbs." The times are moving forward, the process is also progressing, under the rolling wheels of industrial production, the production of flower lanterns is incorporated into the industrial system, and now people seem to be more accustomed to commercial flower lamps, in order to avoid fire and cumbersome production procedures, the streets and alleys are hanging mass-produced "flower electric lamps".
But the "flame" of the handmade flower lantern has not been extinguished.
Lai Bingsheng and Lai Da carried out lantern teaching activities on campus, and elaborated with children on the weaving and fixing methods of lantern skeletons. Courtesy of Rida
"As long as someone is willing to learn, we are willing to teach, and we hope that more young people will learn and continue our traditional culture together." With the help of the opportunity of "intangible cultural heritage into the campus", on the eve of the Lantern Festival, Li Bingsheng's father and son will bring tools to pineapple ridge primary school, the affiliated primary school of Guangxi Normal University and other primary schools to carry out lantern teaching activities, and more and more young generations will join the learning and production of handmade lanterns.
Pineapple Ridge Elementary School's Traditional Lantern Handicraft Workshop showcases many lanterns made by teachers and students in different shapes and colors. Lin Baoli filmed
The Taurus Lantern is one of Rida's proud works, made in the Year of the Ox, which symbolizes diligent work and praying for a good year. At present, the Taurus Lantern is stored in Pineapple Ridge Primary School for students to visit and learn. Photo by Tan Xiaolin
In 2017, in order to better protect and inherit local folk culture, the Pineapple Ridge community set up the Lantern Lantern Council, which not only made flower lanterns and displayed flower lanterns, but also carried out dragon and lion dances, song and dance performances and other activities. In 2018, the Nanning Lantern Festival Heritage Base settled in Pineapple Ridge Primary School. Although the Pineapple Ridge community has stopped holding the Lantern Festival due to the impact of the epidemic, the skill of handmade lanterns has followed the footsteps of the inheritors and sowed the seeds of inheritance, which shows the unique humanistic feelings of the industrial age and also expresses people's piety and dedication to continue traditional culture.
— Ends —
About falling in love with intangible cultural heritage
The "Love intangible cultural heritage" series is an important part of the "Guangxi Non-Genetic Inheritance Plan" launched by Guangxi Daily-Guangxi Yun. We hope to use our own brushstrokes and perspectives to sincerely present those intangible cultural heritages rooted in the magnificent land of Guangxi, and those cultural imprints that are deeply integrated into the blood of the sons and daughters of Zhuangxiang. As a result, a trickle of nurturing national pride and cultural self-confidence is gathered, so that everyone can become a practitioner, inheritor and beneficiary of intangible cultural heritage.
Planning coordinator 丨 Zeng Junfeng Rosa
This issue is written by Tan Xiaolin
Editor of this issue 丨 Xie Linlin
Visual design 丨Wei Ruolin
Image production 丨 Lin Baoli
Chief Duty 丨 Zeng Junfeng Li Weiguo
Produced by Guangxi Cloud Intangible Cultural Heritage Communication Team
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