Lantern custom in Nanhou Street

Fuzhou has the custom of sending lanterns. Because "Deng" and "Ding" are homophonic in Fuzhou dialect, sending a lamp means "Jia Ding". Where there is demand, there is market. Nanhou Street is the largest market for making and selling Spring Festival lanterns. In the early years, Fuzhou's daughter got married, regardless of whether she was born or not, her parents had to send lanterns. Send Guanyin lanterns or God-given inner lanterns when you are not born. In the second year after the baby is born, she will send "baby sitting in a basin" lanterns, and in the third year, she will send "orange lanterns". If there are several children, she will send some lanterns until the children are 16 years old. Some give birth to two to three, and the extra one is called "headlight", hoping that the child will get ahead. Yang Guifei, a Jiaqing juren who lives in Gongxiang, is a good friend of Lin Zexu. She vividly described this point in Rongcheng Yuanxi's ci. Between the lines, it says, "Our children have been given colorful ribbons, and the light in the bride's room has increased. I wanted to unload the gold hairpin, so I reported my parents to send a lamp. " Fuzhou nursery rhymes: "On the first month of Lantern Festival, grandma hurts her nephew (grandson) and brings red and orange lanterns to add good luck."

The old custom of the Lantern Festival in Nanhou Street started from the third day of the first month and lasted until the fifteenth day, with the eighth day to the twelfth day being the most lively. There is a folk saying that "we only watch the eighth day of the Lantern Festival", because on the 13th night of the first month, we are "paper-blind" (meaning "Lantern Festival"), and our parents must send lanterns before the 13th. On the night of Lantern Festival, adults will light lanterns for children and greet the arrival of lanterns with the children in the neighborhood. The annual Lantern Festival has become a happy night for children.

There used to be several shops with autocratic lanterns in Nanhou Street, most of which were handed down from family. Because lanterns are only bought and sold on the first few days of the first month, they are generally only made as big ball lanterns hung by large families, big lanterns hung by temples or "high photos" to greet the gods, "hundred grandchildren" at funerals, small lanterns lit and dragon lanterns for festivals. There are few signs in general shops, and most of them are called so-and-so lantern shops. Lanterns are made of paper, cloth, bamboo and wood. Watermelon lanterns, lotus lanterns, vegetable lanterns, orange lanterns, sheep lanterns, monkey lanterns, knife-closing lanterns, unicorn lanterns, champion riding lanterns and music lanterns are all available during the Spring Festival. Modern also has "airplane lights". The lantern-tying artists also make some exquisite lanterns as needed, and make palace lanterns, lanterns, wall lanterns and various hanging lanterns with yarn, silk, satin, silk and glass. The variety is rich, both elegant and popular, but also pleasing to the eye. Various lanterns add happiness and auspiciousness to people. During the Cultural Revolution, lanterns were regarded as the product of feudalism, and there were no colorful lanterns in Nanhou Street. Although it was restored after the Cultural Revolution, lanterns were only used during the first month, and the artists who tied lanterns were turned into lucrative wreaths to support their families, which affected the traditional cultural atmosphere in Nanhou Street. In 2007, the party and government leaders in Gulou District of Fuzhou held the first "Nanhou Street Lantern Festival" in order to strengthen the protection of lanterns, which attracted the attention of superior leaders.

In the first month of 2008, the Gulou District Government held the second "Nanhou Street Lantern Festival" again, introduced a protection and reward mechanism, and held a unique ceremony of "Nanhou Street Lantern Festival artists accepting apprentices". At the end of 2008, Nanhou Street was named as "the hometown of folk culture and art in China" by the Ministry of Culture, and the Nanhou Street Lantern Festival ushered in spring again!