Gooseneck dragon lanterns
Gooseneck lanterns are mainly popular in Jinyan Village, Longtan Town, Beidouxi, Liangyaping Town and other places, and are "unique" in the country.
The gooseneck lamp is made of bamboo strips. The dragon head is 2.33 meters high and 1 meter wide. The dragon body has two sections, each section is 8 feet. The dragon tail is 1 meter. The dragon body and dragon tail are Total 33 meters. The dragon head is disconnected from the dragon body, wrapped in colorful paper, candles are placed all over the body, and the dragon body is wrapped in white cloth.
The faucet of the gooseneck lantern is danced by three people, and there are treasure lanterns, sign lanterns and clam shell lanterns in front. One person dances the shooting star in front to clear the way to evacuate the crowd. The activity season is mainly in the first month, celebrating the Lantern Festival, driving away locusts, and praying for a good harvest.
The gooseneck lantern must be equipped with two teams of people and two faucets. Each faucet is equipped with three people. The dragon body is disconnected from the dragon body, and the dragon body is connected to the dragon tail. Behind it is a band of music and accompaniment. The music is mainly composed of "Ten Scenes" by dragon lanterns and cymbals. Donations are assigned by local elders. Each household is notified by the lantern. Which house the dance goes to will be greeted by firecrackers. When dancing at this house, the lantern will notify the next person. One household prepared.
Silkworm lantern
The silkworm lantern dance is a unique folk dance in Xupu County. Popular in Longtan Town, Xiaohuangsha, and Zhuyuan areas, it is the clan lantern of the Zhang family that lives here.
Before liberation, a lantern festival was held every Spring Festival. Thousands of people gathered on Longtan Street, which was very lively. People of all surnames, no matter how far or near, dance their own lanterns on the street for performances. Among them, the "silkworm lantern" of people surnamed Zhang in Xiaohuangsha is particularly unique and famous here.
The "silkworm lantern" looks similar to Mature spring silkworms use bamboo strips to weave dozens of circles of different sizes inside as a skeleton, connect them with ropes, and divide them into three sections: head, body and tail. The outside is covered with white cloth, and candles are lit in the body cavity of the silkworm. The total length is about 5 meters. . The silkworm's body can stretch and move, and its mouth can be opened wide when swallowing, with red beads in its mouth. During the dance, three men dance together to make a string of lights, and two strings of lights form a group (one group of lights is suitable for 6 people). There is no limit to the number of groups. The more people dance, the more beautiful the scene will be. Before putting out the lanterns, first release several "Kongming lanterns" into the air on the village's threshing floor. This lantern is a round lantern woven from bamboo strips, with a paper paste on the outside and a mixture of volatile camphor and cooking oil inside. Candles, after being lit, shoot straight into the sky and can remain in the air for half an hour. According to legend, they were invented by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period). After the lights were raised, the whole village suddenly shone brightly, with men, women, old and young jumping for joy. People in neighboring villages saw the "Kongming Lantern" rising in the sky and knew that Zhang's "Silkworm Lantern" performance had begun, so every family set off firecrackers to welcome the "Silkworm Lantern".
The "Silkworm Lantern Dance" vividly and delicately expresses the graceful demeanor and quiet life habits of spring silkworms. In the lantern dance, the "double door closing", "etiquette dance", "Tai Chi diagram", "silkworm lantern wrapped around the waist", "worshiping the four doors" and other dance movements are derived from the twisting and shaking of the spring silkworm's body. It is extracted from the expressions of holding the head high and entangled with each other. Actions such as "Dancing on the Road", "Two Silkworms Climbing the Tree", "Two Silkworms Crossing the Bridge", and "Two Silkworms Eating Leaves" are based on the expressions of spring silkworms when they are looking for mulberry leaves.
During the entire performance process, dancers must cooperate with each other and be meticulous, so that the performance can be dynamic and still, coherent and natural, with both spirit and form, giving people an elegant, simple, and interesting artistic enjoyment. At night, "silkworm lanterns" march on the field ridges. Looking from a distance, you can see a string of white silkworms meandering in the night, which is very spectacular. Especially when dozens of strings of "silkworm lanterns" gather in the square to perform "serving on the table" and "mounting the tree", this strange formation of silkworm lanterns can take people into a dream-like state. It is full of mythical romance, rare in folk dances, and fully reflects the creative wisdom of the working people.
The music of "Silkworm Deng" mainly uses the local folk tune "Shi Yang Jin" and the three percussion instruments of gongs, cymbals and drums, accompanied by suona, with a bright rhythm, clear and melodious, and rich Local characteristics.