On February 24, the annual "Dragon Frying Festival" in Tianxi Village, Yangdun Township, Shunchang County, lasted for two days and gradually came to an end. As night fell, this small mountain village of more than 1,300 people from 300 households suddenly became lively.
Shunchang County Yangdun Township Tianxi Village "Fried Dragon Festival" Xu Huashan Courtesy of The picture
The village is full of lights and decorations, a peaceful and joyful scene. Attracted the people of the four nearby villages and eight townships, from Shunchang County, Fuzhou, Xiamen, as far as outside the province tourists have come to see the experience. "I haven't returned to my hometown in a few years, but this time I came back with my children so that they can also feel the strong folk flavor of their hometown." A villager surnamed Ge who has been abroad for many years said. The sound of firecrackers is getting more and more fierce, accompanied by thousands of lit firecrackers, the dragon dancers dance more and more wildly, the long dragon travels back and forth in the square, the scene is magnificent, so that the onlookers who come to admire the dragon dancers are amazed by the courage and physique of the dragon dancers, this almost "barbaric" custom, implying people's pursuit of a better life, symbolizing the more "fried" the more prosperous the day. That night, it was not until all the firecrackers and fireworks were burned that the whole mountain village gradually became quiet.
Along the way, the sound of firecrackers is deafening, the dragon dance is full of electricity; the smoke is invisible across the street, and the dragon's body is faintly appearing when it churns... Courtesy of Xu Huashan
"Fried Dragon Festival" is a folk custom of praying for blessings and peace, praying for the wind and rain to be smooth, guotai and people's safety, and praying for prosperity, home and happiness for people. According to legend, during the Song Dynasty, there was a couple in Xiameng Village who was very harmonious and long-lived, and was enthroned by the emperor of the dynasty and was allowed to set up a great qianci temple. It is said that the daughter of Hou Huigong of Tianxi Village married the son of Qingshan Gong of Xiameng Village, and the in-laws' love affected the love and filial piety of the two children. On the 24th day of the first lunar month every year, Qingshan Gong welcomes Hou Huigong and Fushou Gong, who visit Xiameng Village in the morning and return to Tianxi Village in the evening.
In 2014, it was approved by the Shunchang County People's Government to be included in the fourth batch of county-level intangible cultural heritage representative project list. Photo courtesy of Xu Huashan
Later generations chose the 24th day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar every year as the day when the people of the two villages gathered, and the 23rd to 24th of the first month of each year will hold a one-day worship and "dragon frying" activity. On the night of the "Dragon Frying Festival", every household lit a brazier in front of the gate and brought a bamboo board to the Daqian Temple at the west end of the village to gather the solitaire. The village formed two dragon dance teams, all of whom were young and strong men admired by the villagers, who were fully armed, wrapped in wet towels, wearing hard hats, tightening their pants and legs, and allowing onlookers to bombard them with firecrackers. Along the way, the sound of firecrackers is deafening, the dragon dance is full of electricity; the smoke is invisible across the street, and the dragon's body is faintly appearing when it churns...
This folk activity expresses and praises the traditional virtues of friendly exchanges and harmony between the ancestors of Tianxi Village and Xiameng Village, reflects the beliefs and customs of generations of villagers to worship their ancestors and repay morality, carries a strong memory of hometown feelings, and also enriches the spiritual and cultural life of the locality. In 2014, it was approved by the Shunchang County People's Government to be included in the fourth batch of county-level intangible cultural heritage representative project list.
Source: Southeast Network (Correspondent Xu Huashan Huang Tianjing)