What is the social fire in Linfen?

Shehuo is a traditional carnival in China to celebrate the Spring Festival. It is also the general name of Gao Tai, stilts, dry boat, lion dance, dragon dance, yangko, etc. The specific forms vary greatly from region to region.

In the northwest of China, every Spring Festival, rural people will spontaneously organize various social fire activities. The scale of social fire varies from dozens to hundreds, including gongs and drums players, lion dances and so on. The masses set off firecrackers to greet the social fire team and presented gifts such as tobacco and alcohol. Where the social fire passes, firecrackers are ringing, gongs and drums are loud, people are crowded and the atmosphere is warm.

The most expressive social fire is the high platform. Every platform has a theme. Common storylines include Monkey King Thrice Defeats the Skeleton Demon and Jiro's rescue of his mother. Most of them are based on the stories of Shaanxi Opera.

Gao Tai is usually built under the command of experienced folk artists. That is, on a special table (there are also cars or tractors), steel bars, cloth, colored paper and other materials are made into various shapes, such as rockeries, trees, animals and so on. Then the boys and girls (usually 4-5 years old) are dressed as characters in the story and fixed on the high platform according to the content, and the number varies from 1 person to1person.

Shehuo is a part of China traditional culture, which originated from the ancient sacrificial activities in China. Lu You, a poet of the Song Dynasty in China, wrote in "A Tour of Shanxi Villages": "Xiaogu follows the Spring Society, and the clothes are simple and ancient." It can be seen that it has lasted for a long time.

Expression form

Each team has etiquette officials, and the northwest region is also called "Spring Officials" (known as poets). For example, when visiting a unit or a resident's home during the Spring Festival, the etiquette officer will say four words and one sentence with the concept of gongs and drums, which is generally made up because of the different nature and functions of the unit or the different family conditions of the residents.

The main events of the social fire team are: stilts, which are called high crutches by the people. Generally, the wooden legs of rectangular columns about 3 feet or 4 feet are made of rafters. Install a long transverse board (with appropriate foot width) at the upper part of about 1 ft, step on the transverse board with the feet, and tie the wooden legs at the upper part to the human calf. Dressed in historical drama costumes.

Generally, he plays the characters in the play, such as breaking the bridge, stealing fairy grass, picking yellow robes, learning from the scriptures by the Tang Priest, crossing the sea by the Eight Immortals, and compensating Bao Gong.

Accompanied by the strong rhythm of gongs and drums, do marching queues or venues to perform at designated points. For example, if the bridge is broken, the green snake and the white snake will sing their lines and make simple gestures in Shaanxi opera. Dry boat, made of bamboo, and then glued with colored paper or colored silk, has a boatmaid driving the boat and walking in broken steps, just like a boat out of shape in the sea, with an old man walking in front, holding an oar and rocking the boat.

Running a bamboo horse, with bamboo as the skeleton, tied into the shape of a horse (or donkey) and decorated with colored silk or colored paper. The performer wears a bamboo horse around his waist, just like riding a horse. Men and women in pairs, running in pairs, dancing in pairs, singing in pairs, with strong sense of music, clear rhythm and warm atmosphere.