Hunan Daily · New Hunan Client Correspondent Li Jian Jiang Jing Zhou Yang Reporter Yan Shidun
Long dong, long, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, drum, gongs and drums, dragon and lion dancing, shrimp and clam twisting, colorful boats Fish swimming, Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival and Lantern Festival are one of the folk cultural activities that people in Quyuan Management District of Yueyang City are most looking forward to.
Although it was freezing weather, the participating teams were enthusiastic and energetic, beating the gongs and drums of celebration, waving their colorful fans, performing cheerful yangko dances, and performing agile dragon and lion dances. The audience was packed with people.
At 9:18 a.m. that day, the Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival performance team set off from the Quyuan Management District Office, then paraded along Quyuan Avenue, Xingsheng Avenue, Zhenghong Avenue, and finally arrived at Quzi Shiyuan Square. In Quzi Shiyuan Square, performances such as gongs and drums, dragon and lion dances, and clam boats were held. Carp lanterns, fat-headed fish lanterns, flower lanterns, dragon lanterns, etc. performed the story of Yingtian fish lanterns, pushing the event to a climax.
"I have long heard that the Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival is lively and beautiful. I made a special trip to come here. The scene is indeed spectacular. This traditional folk custom must be passed down and carried forward." said tourist Xia Shunyi.
Jiang Guoliang, a villager in Sanzhou Village, Yingtian Town, watched with relish: "The performance of the Dragon Lantern Festival is wonderful and the atmosphere is warm."
In the Quyuan Management District of Yueyang, the twelfth day of the first lunar month is known as the Little Lantern Festival, and the traditional Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival debuts on this day. This year's Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival was voluntarily organized by the people of Yingtian Town, with social participation and government support. The preparations started before the Lunar New Year. During the lively Dragon Lantern Festival, everyone prayed for peace and prosperity, good weather and a good harvest in the New Year, and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to production and development.
Yi Simei, the intangible inheritor of the Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival, introduced that Yingtian Town is located at the intersection of the Xiangjiang River, Miluo River and Dongting Lake. Local residents make a living by fishing. The fish lanterns illuminate the water surface at night, like stars in the night sky. , these are the "Fishing Boats Singing at Night" and "Dongting Autumn Moon" among the Eight Scenes of Ancient Xiaoxiang. At that time, Yue Fei stationed troops in Dongting. The army put up lanterns on the lakeshore and patrolled with lanterns at night. Later, soldiers in the camp lit up fish lanterns and paraded through the streets every Spring Festival, and fishermen followed suit, gradually forming the folk custom of the Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival, which continues to this day.
"Every year during the Little Lantern Festival, Quyuan Management District organizes a dragon lantern parade to celebrate the Lantern Festival, and people participate enthusiastically." Liu Bin, leader of the Yingtian Dragon Lantern Festival, said that this year's Little Lantern Festival, thousands of people participated in the dragon lantern parade, attracting audiences More than 50,000 visitors.
