Cover news reporter Chen Yuxiao Chen Ganlu photo report
The golden red molten iron splashed on the wall, the tongue of fire flew away with the elegant arc collision, the iron flower bloomed in the night sky, and the "brilliant flower rain" was scattered in the sky... In the countdown to the twenty-four solar terms at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, a beam of sparks bursting out appeared twice, and the magnificent picture was impressive. The fire tree honeysuckle like a shooting star is the traditional festival community fire in Wei County, Hebei Province- "Hitting the Tree Flower". It is the Lantern Festival, and the local people have shown up the unique skill of "beating trees and flowers", which is eye-opening. At the same time, in the streets and alleys, the people dressed up as various characters to "play with the social fire", the gongs and drums were noisy, the songs and dances were carried, and the witty and humorous performances made people laugh.
The social fire performers are all armed with special skills
The faces of the masses were painted with the logo of the Beijing Winter Olympics
"Hitting trees and flowers" is a folk cultural activity in Nuanquan Town, Wei County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, where the local people celebrate the harvest, pray for smooth wind and rain, and guotai and people's safety. So far, the glittering "tree flowers" have been blooming for more than 500 years. Wearing sheepskin jackets and bucket hats, the performers use special wooden spoons to sprinkle 1600 degrees Celsius of molten iron on the city wall, and when the hot molten iron meets the cold wall, thousands of iron flowers burst out in an instant. Because it resembles the flowering of an iron tree, it is called "Hitting the Tree Flower". As a national intangible cultural heritage, every New Year, "beating trees and flowers" blooms at the head of the city, and the countdown to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics has also allowed more people to know about this folk traditional culture.
Treelayers add scrap iron to the boiler to boil molten iron
The blacksmith of Nuanquan Town in WeiXian County is "beating tree flowers"
"Playing trees and flowers" is one of the forms of social fire performance in Weixian County, in addition, there are many forms of social fire performance in Weixian County, before and after the Lantern Festival, the people dress up as various characters to sing and dance, and perform humorous and humorous performances.
Shehuo is a kind of sacrifice custom that spreads in Chinese folk. It is the worship of the land and fire when people celebrate harvests, celebrate festivals, and encounter great events. "She" is the god of the land, fire is the "ancestor of fire", and land and fire are the roots of human existence. It is also a collective name for high platforms, stilts, dry boats, lion dances, dragon dances, rice songs, etc., and the specific forms vary greatly with region. The social fire played in Wei County, locally known as "Noisy Spring", is also called "Playing Red Fire". Every Lantern Festival, the social fire team of the eight townships in ten miles gathers in the county town to play with the social fire, which is huge and lively. The social fire performance in WeiXian is mainly based on humorous and playful styles, The Heavenly Palace Mother reflects the people's gratitude for the care and gifts of heaven and earth, the fishing rod symbolizes that there is more than one year and many children, and various clowns such as the old mother and Wang Ba will also blend into the crowd, interact with people, play and play, and be full of harmonious happiness of festivals. When the social fire meets the Winter Olympics, the social fire also takes on a new form. Some performers painted the emblem of the Beijing Winter Olympics on their faces to express the joy of welcoming the Winter Olympics. The arrival of the Winter Olympics has given new life to traditional folk culture.
The role of "Wang Ba" is very sought-after
The crowd sang and danced
Characters have a playful effect
The old mother represents the primitive fertility cult
The community fire crowd performed in the streets