Today's Lichun: "Spring Cow" Dance "Yin Hu" Vientiane rejuvenated

February 4 is the first festival ushered in after entering the Year of the Tiger - Lichun. As the first of the twenty-four solar terms, Lichun has the meaning of returning to the earth and reviving all things, and is highly valued in traditional farming society. There are many folk activities related to Lichun in the Lingnan region.

The two festivals of "Spring Festival" and "Lichun" have a deep relationship since ancient times. Zeng Yingfeng, a first-class writer of the Guangzhou Academy of Literature and Art Creation and a member of the Guangdong Provincial Expert Committee on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, introduced that the "Spring Festival" in the history books originally referred to the "Lichun" in the twenty-four solar terms, and it was not until after the Xinhai Revolution that the Gregorian calendar was used, and people called January 1 as New Year's Day and the first day of the first lunar month as the Spring Festival.

The plan of the year is spring. On the day of the establishment of spring, the ancients had customs such as welcoming earth cattle, sacrificing mango seeds, watching spring children, and whipping spring, aiming to pray for a year of smooth wind and rain, life and abundance. Today, in the Shaoguan region of northern Guangdong, "dancing spring cow" has become a traditional dance that is very popular among the Han and Yao ethnic groups during the local New Year season.

Dancing Spring Cow, also known as Spring Cow, Dancing Spring Cow or Spring Cow Dance, is a folk dance with characters and singing and dancing. According to legend, it has a history of more than 300 years since the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty in the mountainous countryside of northern Guangdong. In this way, people affectionately praise the cattle that have worked hard with them, and express their prayers and expectations for the future of life.

Dancing spring cows are usually performed during the Spring Festival in the countryside. As the mascot of the performance, the "Spring Cow" is generally danced by two actors, one dancing the bull's head and the other playing the bull's tail. The head of the bull is made of wood or bamboo, and its curved horns, large eyes, and black fur are lifelike.

With the appearance of the "cultivator" dressed as an old farmer, the "spring cow" who was originally lazily lying on the side was also slowly aroused by the singer's singing, shaking his head and tail. The performance team then showed the routines of morning glory, teasing cattle, catching cattle, setting cattle, and yoke, and the gags often caused the audience to laugh, and the whole audience was filled with a cheerful and festive atmosphere.

Zeng Yingfeng believes that the Dancing Spring Cow not only shows the worship of cultivated cattle, but also spreads agricultural knowledge, reflecting the characteristics of the ancient Lingnan farming civilization. Today, the Shaoguan Dancing Spring Cow has been included in the list of the first batch of intangible cultural heritage items in Guangdong Province. The traditional folk custom of dancing spring cows has also been "danced" into the campus locally. The children not only "danced" out of the strong and brave spirit of the Spring Cow, but also learned the way of harmonious coexistence between man and nature from the program.

As times have changed, traditional solar terms have been given new meanings. This year's Spring Festival coincides with the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, and the city Chinese venues have prepared a wealth of festive activities to entertain the public. From February 4th to 12th, the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Center (Guangdong Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center) launched the "Festival 'Sigh' Intangible Cultural Heritage - Spring Festival Lantern Series Activities", and successively planned five experience classes in Foshan Woodblock New Year Painting, Tea Mountain Doll, Guangzhou Olive Carving, Guangzhou Egg Carving Technique, and Foshan Lanterns. On the day of Lichun, Liu Zhongping, the representative inheritor of Foshan woodblock new year painting at the municipal level, will personally visit the scene to lead the students to understand the historical development of Foshan woodblock new year painting and experience the production process of Foshan woodblock new year painting. (Yang Yi)

(Nanfang Daily)