Foding Mountain in Shiqian County, which is also known as the sister mountain with Fanjing Mountain, has complex terrain, diverse landforms, and abundant water sources, adding a magnificent beauty to the gentle and blessed land of Shiqian, the "Ancient Yelang Country", and nurturing its heritage. Thick characteristic culture. The cultures of 12 ethnic minorities, including Gelao, Dong, Miao, and Tujia, which account for 74% of the county's total population, blend in harmony and complement each other, giving birth to a splendid and wonderful "intangible cultural heritage" culture.
Shiqian has a long history, rich resources and unique brand. From spring to autumn, the traditional customs and activities of different nationalities in different seasons have brought endless fun and charm to the lives of local people. Gelao Maolong Festival, Shiqian Puppet Show, and Shiqian Talking about Spring, these three national intangible cultural heritage projects have formed a "three-legged" cultural development trend, and are called "three treasures of intangible cultural heritage" by Shiqian people. 3 bright and dazzling cultural business cards.
A Feast - Gelao Hair Dragon Festival
Shiqian's "Gelao Maolong" originated from the ancient Gelao's "Bamboo King" worship and reproductive worship. The Gelao Maolong Festival in Shiqian is a folk activity based on the belief of the "Dragon God" among the Gelao people. Dragon worship is at the core of Gelao Maolong. The Gelao Maolong Festival includes basic elements such as "dragon" belief, affiliated totem belief, tie art, playing skills, and chanting. In May 2006, the Shiqian Gelao Maolong Festival was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.
Every year from New Year's Eve to the second and third day of the first lunar month is the preparation stage. The "host" in the village will lead 2 to 3 educated and well-known villagers to raise funds from each household to purchase bamboo, paper, Pour candle paraffin and other materials needed for "Zhalong", and then invite artists to "Zhalong". After the hair dragon is tied up, a consecration ceremony will be held on the sixth or seventh day of the first lunar month. After the series of ceremonies are over, people can hold the sacred hair dragon and walk around the village to perform intensively. On that day, nearly 100 dragon lantern teams from various villages and communities in the county gathered in the county seat, each performing their own stunts, with gongs and drums blaring and crowds of people.
On the fifteenth and sixteenth day of the first lunar month, it is the day of "burning the dragon". Maolong teams from Shili Baxiang lined up in the square. Amidst the sound of gongs, drums and firecrackers, the blessings and offerings made of yellow paper were burned together with the Maolong lanterns, showing that the village sincerely played with Maolong and respected them. God, I beg him to bless the people of the whole village in peace and prosperity. After burning the hair dragon, the suitcases, gongs and drums, etc. will be sent to the home of the next hall master. The new hall master greets them with smoke and tea, and entertains supper. At this point, the one-year dragon-playing activities are all over.
A Piece of Wood - Shiqian Puppet Show
Shiqian Puppet Show, commonly known as "Wooden Dou Dou Opera" or "Wooden Skull Opera", is a kind of folk puppet opera popular among various ethnic groups in Shiqian County. In its heyday, the scope of performances radiated to Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, Guizhou, etc. surrounding area. According to oral traditions, about 200 years ago, puppet show was introduced from Chenxi, Hunan, and has been inherited for seven generations. remains of. In May 2006, Shiqian Puppet Show was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Shiqian is a key ecological area and a multi-ethnic area in the province. The production of puppet show characters incorporates the characteristics of various ethnic groups. In addition to the characteristics of the Dong nationality, elements such as Gelao skirts and belly clothes are also added, which has strong local characteristics. .
At present, there are 3 puppet troupes active among the people in Shiqian. Among them, the folk puppet troupe of the three brothers of the Fu family in Huaqiao Town was established earlier. Not only can each of the three brothers be unique, skillfully control puppets for performances, but also integrate the unique traditional woodcut skills of the Dong nationality, with unique characters and colorful costumes. Gorgeous, dancing vividly. They passed on by oral instruction, and they were able to perform more than 200 puppet shows.
There is also a folk theater troupe active in Shiqianpingshan Township, with 6 members performing full-time. They are mostly invited by folks in the village to perform in special ceremonies such as wedding celebrations, wish fulfillment, and sacrifices. In order to cultivate successors, they require their grandchildren to accompany them to learn art in their spare time, and now they have more than 10 apprentices.
Shiqian National Middle School is an important place for the inheritance and promotion of this project on campus. The school specially offers puppet show classes to teach students the basic knowledge of puppet show and skills in performance and singing. In addition, the teachers of the puppet troupe of the school also collected some classic repertoires and compiled them into local teaching materials. They have compiled more than 20 complete repertoires such as "Giving a Horse with a Robe in its Hand".
A Ballad - Shiqian Talks about Spring
"Speaking of Spring" is a comprehensive folk activity handed down from generation to generation by Dong people in Shiqian, mainly in Pobei Village, Huaqiao Town. In June 2011, Shi Qian's "Shuochun" was included in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. China's "Twenty-Four Solar Terms" was officially included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on November 30, 2016, and "Shiqian Saying Spring" as a custom of "Twenty-Four Solar Terms in the Lunar Calendar" was included in the extended list of intangible cultural heritage.
The activity of talking about spring is carried out around the beginning of spring. According to legend, the people with the surname in this village are descendants of the "Chun Guan" who was conferred in the Tang Dynasty.
Words and phrases encouraging people to cherish time and work diligently, such as "the rain festival at the beginning of spring in the first month, if you don't plow the mountains, you have to plow the fields", "everyone wants to learn from the farmers, and you will get new rice soon", are widely circulated in the countryside, reflecting the Dong people's Hardworking and simple traditional virtues.
The Feng family's Shuochun belongs to "Shuozhengchun", which is generally passed down in the family and does not pass on foreign surnames, and is subject to specific geographical restrictions, that is, it is carried out within the five counties of Zhenyuan, Shibing, Sansui, Yuping, and Cengong.
Except for the surname Shuochun, the "Chun officials" in various parts of the county belong to "Shuoyechun", also known as "Shuohuahuachun" and "Shuohuahuachun". Compared with "Shuo Zhengchun", their Spring Ci is more flexible and informal, no matter from the perspective of Chun Ci or singing, it is the benevolent see benevolence, and the wise see wisdom.
Shuochun has rich cultural value, unique regionality and diverse social functions. Its language, music, rap and other characteristics have high artistic value for the study of contemporary minority social education methods. Economic culture and outlook on existence, morality and ethics provide powerful examples.