What kind of culture is the traditional Chinese "Dragon Dance"?

The Dragon Dance is a traditional Han Chinese dance that originated in China. In ancient times, dragon and lion dances were part of the program of large-scale festivals throughout the year. With the immigration of Chinese people all over the world, the Dragon Dance culture has spread to China, Southeast Asia, Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand where Chinese people are concentrated, and has become a symbol of Chinese culture.

The Dragon Dance is a traditional cultural activity of the Chinese nation, and all ethnic groups have the custom of dancing the Dragon Dance. Legend has it that the Tujia people did not have the habit of dancing the Dragon Dance a long time ago. One year, a long drought without rain, the harvest withered, creeks and rivers cut off, came a can calculate the weather rain and shine Yin drought, the earth's woe Mr. Guigu, said to the Tujia people: "Do not worry about, today's afternoon before the time of the clouds, the 11th hour of the rain, the city under the three points, outside the city under the seven points". His words, by the water of the old dragon heard the golden hook thought, the mortal world has such a capable person still want me to manage what water? The Jade Emperor ordered him to change the amount of rain inside and outside the city upside down and divided. As a result, the rain poured down, flooded the city, houses collapsed, drowned many people this was when the land of the workshop to the Jade Emperor after the report, the Jade Emperor put the golden hook of the old dragon into the Heavenly Prison, seven days after the beheading of the public. Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, knew about this and pleaded with the Jade Emperor to save the old dragon. Before Goddess of Mercy could say anything, the Jade Emperor let go of her sword and chopped the Golden Hook Dragon into nine pieces. After that, Mr. Guigu came again and said to the Tujia people, "The old dragon was beheaded because he gambled with me and lost his life, but he did a lot of good things to the folk, and you should burn some joss paper for him when he died." So, the Tujia people will make nine sections of gold dragon, to the villages and villages dance, called people worship, pray for the old dragon to bless the wind and rain, grain harvest. Over time, the dragon dance has also become a traditional custom of the Tujia people.

But the Tujia dragon dance, in towns and cities is to dance across the country is similar to the Buzha dragon, in the Tujia cottage dragon dance and different places, its own characteristics. There are mainly the following kinds.　　

(a) lantern dragon also called "lamp dragon", this kind of dragon are prevalent in the Tujia settlement towns.　　Generally in the first three days of the first month of the lunar calendar out of the lamp, fifteen end. "Lights Dragon" consists of nine sections (meaning: the old dragon was chopped into nine sections), the dragon head with bamboo strips tied into a frame, glued with white Qingming paper, painted in various colors, realistic form, with horns, mouth, eyes, whiskers. The dragon's body is made of thin gimlets tied into a cylinder and glued with Qingming paper. The tail of the dragon is also tied into a fine fishtail shape, with red cloth tape will be the dragon head, body, tail connected, and in the dragon head, body, tail sections of the dragon light a candle lamp, seems to be a lantern. Dance Lantern Dragon is very lively, before two to four pairs of rows of lights to open the way, marking the lantern dragon is which village or street dragon, rows of lights and fish, shrimp and mussels, lanterns, etc., in the drums and gongs, horns in the sound of swaying head swinging tail, swim in the streets and alleys. Play lamp dragon action has yellow dragon under the sea, golden dragon hold column, two dragons grab treasure, the old dragon turn over, golden dragon over the sea cucumber ...... and so on. Lantern dragon wherever the firecrackers constantly, fireworks filled, onlookers water. Some people in order to meet the lamp dragon into the house, the door in front of the arrangement of 36 pairs of large flower tube guns, firecrackers tens of thousands of ringing, hope that the bold into the yard to try. Dragon into the yard, around the door outside the flower tube guns, firecrackers exploding in the air, fireworks in all directions. At this time, in addition to the lights of the dragon sections have lights, other lights all out. Dragon in the afterglow of firecrackers and fireworks dancing, very spectacular. Dance dragon, most of the bare shoulders and legs and dragon tumbling into one. Lights do not go out, the dragon does not stop, firecrackers constantly. Once the dragon's mouth water spray, the owner will pull the dragon's beard hanging peng Phi Hong, with the best good confusion hospitality dragon dance team. If the dragon dancers are timid, afraid of fireworks, firecrackers, to the door of the coal dragon head salute is withdrawn, you can not get the master of the colorful silk, taste not the best good confusion. Therefore, the dragon dancers, all fast eyes and hands dance skills of the strong hands. Light dragon into the yard, despite the fireworks flying, are not burned dragon body and human body. Dance skills are not strong, there are also dancing with a huge dragon into the courtyard, light bamboo circle out of the situation.　　Lamp dragon play to the end of the first month of the lunar calendar on the fifteenth day, from the first month of the thirteenth to fifteenth is the burning dragon day. Burning dragon, is in the river or water ditch side, burning dragon, the dragon on the ground, the crowd will be prepared in advance of the flower tube guns, fireworks and firecrackers, such as sparks straight to the dragon body spray, to be the dragon burned to the end of the crowd, "ah" sound even the sky, enjoy jumping for a while, will be sent to the remains of the dragon lamps into the water, water rushed, meaning to send the dragon back to the sea.　　

(2) Straw Dragon The dragon is named after the straw used to tie it. With a large straw into a mouth, horns, eyes, whiskers of the dragon, with a bundle of straw rope into the dragon head and neck of the general thick feet long seven sections of the dragon body, and then a handful of straw into a fish-tail shaped dragon tail, a **** nine sections, with the straw intervals strung together, and each section of the insertion of a bamboo and wood pole for the handle. Dance grass dragon, mainly in the rural villages of Tujia held in May to July of the lunar calendar each year, for the dance grass dragon time, the significance of the dragon dance is the entertainment contains drive away the plague, fire prevention of two kinds.　　Drive away the plague. In May and June of the lunar calendar, is the field of rice straw seedlings for a long time, the weather is hot, pests and diseases, including destructive pests and diseases for the "rice plague", in the backwardness of science and technology can not be prevented and controlled times, Tujia farmers to dance grass to the dragon to drive away rice plague, and become a habit of long time, gathering entertainment. Dance grass dragon to expel the plague, from the village to the field, in each piece of rice paddy area, each hill on the field to follow the road in turn to dance, dance the same action and the lantern dragon. The dragon dance team, performing their dance skills amidst the sound of blowing bullhorns and horns, setting off three-eyed cannons, banging gongs and drums, and setting off firecrackers, is quite a sight to behold. After the dance in all the fields of their respective villages, the grass will be carried to the creek ditch side of the dragon to burn, so-called to send the dragon to the sea.　　Move the flame. In the lunar calendar, around the Dragon Boat Festival in May or during the ripening period of rice in July in the village. On the day of the Dragon Dance, a basin of water and a sieve of grains and cereals are placed in the middle of the halls of the entire village, waiting for the Dragon Dance team to come. In addition to the dragon dance, there is a dragon dance with nine sections of straw handles, and a boat shaped like a boat made from a ten-foot-long piece of bamboo with a pot of charcoal flame in the center, which is carried by two people. There are also water shooting, archery and the three Tulaosi and then a number of free spectators. The dragon dance team in the village under the leadership of the old man, starting from the head of the first family from top to bottom in turn into the family house, the dragon head to the shrine of the house to do three nodding salute, and then around the house in a circle, and then dance a variety of tricks. At this time, the water shooter with a water jet tube (the same shape as the third chapter of the "water pistol") suction basin of water to the southeast, northwest and central five parties to shoot water (meant to extinguish the fire), the soil Lao Si grab sieve in the five grains to the southeast, northwest and central five parties to skim a handful of each. Skimming to the center for the hall outside the door, the dragon dance team went out and danced to another hall. After the whole cottage families are dancing to, the grass to the dragon and the flame carried to the side of the ditch to burn, water back to the sea. The meaning of the Dragon Dance and Flame Relocation is to ask the dragon to relocate the Flame God out of the village so as to avoid fire and keep the peace.　　

(3) bench dragon Legend has it that a long time ago, the Lantern Festival, the crowd view dragon lanterns, there are three young people of the Tujia ethnic group see more and more energetic, hands, feet, and eager to try, the wisdom of the emergency, lifting up the bench they were sitting on, imitating the dragon lanterns dance and play up, very happy. Later gradually formed into a traditional sports, entertainment and fitness during the week, performances during festivals and competitions, favored by the Tujia people.　　Bench dragon has two styles: one is with a universal long high stool, lifted by three people, two people in front of a man behind the simple style bench dragon; another with thin gabion, with a dragon head, dragon tail, dragon horns, dragon eyes, dragon's mouth, and then paste on a variety of colors of the scales, the dragon tied on the bench, the four wooden feet to show the dragon's claws, a very beautiful image.　　There are two kinds of boarding dragons: the one-stool dragon and the multi-stool dragon. Solitary stool dragon by three people dance, a person out of the right hand and a person out of the left hand to grab the front two feet, the third person with both hands to grab the back of the two feet. The third person grasps the two feet at the back with both hands. When dancing, the head and the tail should look at each other and coordinate. When the head is high, the tail should be low, the head is to the left, the tail is swung to the right; the head is led upwards, and the tail player lets go of his hand and changes his position. Dance dragon tail must be by the footwork spirit, speed, good eyesight as a person. The two dancers at the head of the dragon are basically the same height. Multi-stool dragon, consisting of nine benches, the first section for the dragon's head, the ninth for the dragon's tail, and the rest for the dragon's body. The dragon head in the juggler's leadership, up and down, through the corner, like a dragon out of the water, the whole dragon requires a tacit understanding, section to section. The movements of the bench dragon include: two dragons grabbing treasures, yellow dragon wearing flowers, golden dragon playing in the water, golden cicadas escaping from their shells, yellow dragon coiling, etc. Nowadays, the bench dragon performance has become more and more popular, and it has become more and more popular. Nowadays, the bench dragon performance has been moved to the stage of literature and art.　　

(4) water dragon Tujia water dragon, is also a grand folk sports activities, as early as in the Tujia period on the general rise. Splashing water dragon, is made of willow, by the dragon head, dragon body, dragon tail and rolling treasure composition. The whole body of the dragon is usually 12 holes, i.e. one hole per month and 13 holes in leap years. The dragon's head has eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, horns, whiskers, a realistic image, the dragon's tail is cocked up, can sway from side to side. Lift the head of the general Tujia cottage prestigious elders, the dragon body, the dragon tail with people with the lift. Rolling treasure, also made of wicker like a ball, in front of the dragon's mouth up, down, left, right flying, forming a "dragon grab treasure".　　Dance water dragon, is in the lunar calendar in June and July when the hot sun agreed to be held on the Dragon Day. On this day, Tujia cottage households will be filled with water buckets, water pots and splashing water ladles, water guns, etc. placed in front of the door, to be blowing bullhorn, suona and drums and gongs splashing water dragon team came to the door in the sound of firecrackers, men, women, and children, all with a water ladle, water guns, wooden pots of water kept splashing in the water dragon and bare-body dragon dancers, who splashed the water, the more, on the omens of who the family of the five grains, six animals flourish. Dance water dragon, the whole village village men, women and children are free to participate in the water, the scene is fierce and cheerful, very lively.