The Performance Form of Chizhou Nuo Opera

Maotanshan Lake Village, consisting of 10 natural villages, is located in Dunshang Sub-district Office in the east of Guichi, with the Yangtze River in the north, Bronze River in the east and Qingyang County across the river. The four natural villages of Laowutang, Xinwutang, Yangchunkang and Xiangjia formed a Nuo opera party, and * * * used masks (* * * 19). The14th and15th days of the first month of each year are the activity dates of the four villages. Surnamed tang, wang xing and Xiang in Shanhu Village have two forms of stepping on the ground and walking on stilts, which are used in different occasions of ceremonies. Riding horses to drive away epidemics has been recorded in the palace furniture of Han Dynasty. The Zhuma Road in Shanhu Village of Guichi is its evolution. Ming Jiajing's "Chizhou County Records" recorded that the four townships in Guichi stepped on bamboo and horses when expelling the epidemic. Bamboo and horse can be divided into two kinds, namely, horse on stilts and horse on stilts. Most of them dress up as warriors and fight a battle, such as Hua, Bao Sanniang, Bao Yi, or the story of Guan Yu and Di Xin. Some people also play the role of cabin five. Surnamed tang and wang xing Nuo activities in Coral Village are mainly about horse riding, which combines the folk custom of walking on stilts, dressing up as Guan Suo, wrapping up Sanniang and praying for children. Those who have children offer red eggs to bamboo horses, which is called "horse cup", and those who are willing to beg children ask Guan Suo and Bao Sanniang for red eggs, which is called "horse cup". The "stepping horse" in Shanhu Village is played by four boys aged from 12 to 14 (so the actors have to change every two years), which is used to invite gods and "become a monk" (referring to visiting the village with masks after the ceremony of inviting gods). When God was invited to hold a ceremony in the temple of God, and the masked gods were displayed on the dragon bed one by one, four boys and girls stood in a straight line facing the temple of God, dressed in battle robes and tied with bamboo horses. Then the deacon put on a mask for them and began to step on the horse, which is called "stepping on the holy horse". After the unveiling of the Holy Horse, it was "sanctified", with flags, gongs and umbrellas as the forerunner, followed by the local four-person cavalry, with music, colorful flags, mask boxes, lion boxes and boy scouts. The boy is wearing a military uniform with a bamboo horse tied around his waist. Bamboo horse weaves an oval bottomless basket with bamboo sticks as the horse's body, then ties the horse's head to one side of the basket and sticks colored paper (now with flannel) according to the color of the horse. For example, Guan Lock riding a red horse, Bao Sanniang riding a white horse, and Huang Ma riding a dark horse. The horse stepping on the ground has such actions as "issuing a command" (waving a flag), "riding a horse" and "fighting", which shows the elegance of ancient warriors.

After leaving the village to step on the ground horse, the team finally came to worship in front of the community tree, and four boys began to step on the ground horse, also known as "Aso". After stepping on the horse, the team returned to the village and set foot on the "Aso" in front of the temple.

In the evening, I began to walk on stilts in the open air. Four young people promised to perform on two wooden stilts made of Chinese fir. You must shower and wash yourself before you get on the horse. After putting on colorful clothes and trousers, the four people should kowtow to the gods (masks) and offer incense and wine.

The gongs and drums suona played, and the deacons handed the battle robes to the four-pedaled horses. The four-pedaled horses wore their own clothes and helmets on stilts. Then the deacon took a wooden tray from the shrine and walked onto the stage. Four masks were placed in the wooden tray in turn until the rider raised his hands above his head, and the rider pulled the horse's head up and down with the masks, making the bells ring frequently to show his gratitude. The action routine of stilt horse is similar to that of ground horse, and there is a fighting trend. Four horses dance the flag first, meaning to send troops. After the game, the first horse fought Erma, Sanma and Sima respectively with a long-handled broadsword. The female general wearing a white face mask fought with the head horse wearing a red face mask for many rounds, and finally the red ribbon fluttered, "shaking hands and making peace." Really: "Bao San Niang" is full of surprises, and "Hua" is romantic and chic.