"The mud cow whip scatters the dust of the six streets, and the lettuce picks the leaves and leaves spring." A poem by the Song Dynasty poet Wang Wei, "Li Chun", depicts the pomp and circumstance of "beating spring cattle" and "making spring cakes" in ancient times.
The fourth day of the first lunar month of this year is spring. Standing, for "beginning", spring, represents warmth, growth. Recently, Zeng Yingfeng, member of the Expert Committee on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guangdong Province and vice president of the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Society, introduced in an interview with Nandu and N video reporters that as the first of the twenty-four solar terms, Lichun is a festival that the ancients attached great importance to, and in modern society, with the weakening of the influence of farming civilization, the sense of ceremony of Lichun fades, and more becomes a leisurely holiday for the people to enjoy flowers and walk on the green.
She also introduced that the "Dancing Spring Cow", which was once an important celebration of Lichun, was included in the list of the first batch of intangible cultural heritage projects in Guangdong Province in 2006. "From the perspective of intangible cultural heritage protection, it is gratifying to see the 'dancing spring cow' passed down from generation to generation."
Zeng Yingfeng. Courtesy of respondents
【Dialogue with Zeng Yingfeng】
Nandu: As the head of the twenty-four solar terms, what is the historical origin of Lichun?
Zeng Yingfeng: The "twenty-four solar terms" are the products of ancient farming civilization and occupy an extremely important position in the traditional farming society of the mainland. As the first of the twenty-four solar terms, Lichun marks the "restart" of people after experiencing "spring ploughing, summer planting, autumn harvest, and winter hiding", which is a sign of the recovery of all things, and also means the beginning of the new spring, which means that farmers after a round of rest, officially greet the arrival of spring and restart the new year's labor.
Nandu: How did the ancients celebrate the festival of Lichun?
Zeng Yingfeng: Lichun is a festival that the ancients valued, and one of the most famous ways to celebrate is "Noisy Spring Cow", also known as "Dancing Spring Cow" and "Dancing Spring Cow". The specific year in which this form of celebration appeared is difficult to examine, but during the Tang and Song dynasties, this kind of celebration has been widely popular in the Central Plains.
Dancing Spring Cow. Image source: Shaoguan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism and Sports
"Dancing Spring Cow" does not use real cows. The "spring cow" is made of bamboo and wire - first made of bamboo and wire to make a bull's head skeleton, and then paste paper and paint to make a bull's head; the ox's tail is wrapped with a short section of curved wood with brown silk ox body lined with grass mats, and the outside is covered with a layer of gray cloth or black sheets to connect the bull's head and ox tail.
On the day of the Spring Festival, many ancient folk places will hold the celebration of "dancing spring cows", the spring cow team is usually composed of more than ten people, one person dances the bull head, one person dances the cow tail, one person plays the cultivator holding the bull whip, shoulder carrying a wooden plough, one person plays a cowboy, one person plays a sister, shoulder to carry a bucket or flower basket, holding a color fan, a color scarf, accompanied by the spring cow, singing and dancing, the rest are the band accompaniment personnel. The performances of "Dancing Spring Cow" are mostly improvised, the singing is witty and relaxed, and the places are full of laughter and laughter.
It should be known that the animal "cow" has an extremely important position in the farming society, and the celebration of "LiChun" with cattle as an element is a kind of "sacrifice", and also expresses the ancient people's expectation of "harvest".
Nandu: In modern society, what are the activities and folk customs to celebrate the Spring Festival?
Zeng Yingfeng: In modern society, with the weakening of the influence of farming civilization, the sense of ritual of Lichun is indeed fading, and in some years, Lichun is during the Spring Festival holiday, this day has become more of a leisurely holiday for the people to enjoy flowers and walk on the green, and people in some parts of Guangdong will also use this festival to "worship the gods" to worship the gods they believe in.
The traditional spring celebration of "Dancing Spring Cows" has also been preserved. It is said that during the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, the "Dancing Spring Cow" has been circulated in the rural areas of the mountainous areas of northern Guangdong, with a history of more than 300 years. In 2006, "Dancing Spring Cow" was included in the list of the first batch of intangible cultural heritage projects in Guangdong Province. I think the performance of "Dancing Spring Cow" still meets the expectations of contemporary people for "harvest" and the needs of folk self-entertainment.
Nandu: How do you see the inheritance and continuation of the "Dancing Spring Cow"?
Zeng Yingfeng: The celebration of traditional Spring Festival mainly takes place in rural areas, and under the trend of modern urbanization, it may not be realistic to hold such a large-scale traditional celebration. From the perspective of intangible cultural heritage, the "dancing spring cow" as a traditional celebration of Lichun, for many reasons, from prop production to performance, is on the verge of being lost and needs to be rescued and protected.
At present, Shaoguan and other areas have established some "dancing spring cow" inheritance bases, these dances have also entered some Guangdong campuses, and it is gratifying to see the "dancing spring cow" passed down from generation to generation.
Producer: Nandu Instant
Written by: Nandu reporter Yu Yijing