My hometown is a small county town with less than 10,000 residents in western Hunan Province, but the lion and dragon lantern fireworks were extremely famous in the counties of Xiangxi half a century ago. During the New Year's holidays, each neighborhood has its own lights. From the first to the twelfth day of the new year, it is called "send the lamp", but the whole city beats gongs and drums to play everywhere. During the day, many gongs and drums perform water play on the bridge, or hover up and down on the ** square table. In the evening, they play with mussel shell essence under the lights and play with fine music. Thirteen to fifteen is called "burning the lantern", and the main competition goes to the other side to see who has the best fireworks.
As usual, with the qualifications of a naughty boy, I followed the team and walked around the city with a hundred and ten urchins, and spent time with everyone in the fireworks. Playing with the lights not only by strength, but also to be brave, in order to show that the heroes are fearless, whenever the fireworks rise in the field, the white light goes straight down several feet, and some also roar like thunder, but these people are whether it is "earth-shaking thunder" or "tiger down the mountain", as usual they have to go into battle shirtless, and move forward bravely.
We are too young to participate in such strenuous activities, so we can only shout and cheer while the excitement is lively. Sometimes I volunteered to help, and I was lucky to get a pine torch or carry a drum on my back. Because they can always follow the team, they will not leave the group, until the sky is almost white, and everyone is burned and exhausted.
The team is attached to the old fisherman and the clam shell essence, and the clam shell spirit is often selected to be a handsome and handsome boy of twelve or thirteen years old, and the old fisherman's white beard and white hair are also done, and the original shape is shown at this time, which is embarrassing and ridiculous. The band's drums and flutes are often weak and scattered, beating at random. Sometimes, in order to cheer up the spirits of the group, the band suddenly and melodiously blew the "kicking eight boards", the lion's ears only shook a few times, the old fisherman and the clam shell spirit may have to respond to the rhythm of the drum and flute, and go around the street at random for two circles, and collapse down as usual before the finale, which makes everyone laugh!
Finally, when the guys were gathered in front of the hall to check the scene, the southern goods stores and cloth shops opened by Jiangxi people on the main street, and the cigarette shops opened by Fujian people had already set off firecrackers to burn door paper to welcome the God of Wealth, and the young Miao women who lived in the opposite river also carried the burden of tempeh and radish shreds to the street to sell. With this experience of playing with lanterns and burning lanterns, when I grow up, I will feel quite familiar with the poems of the Song Dynasty Lantern Festival, and my experience is also more profound.