Introduction to the legend and production methods of rabbit lanterns

Rabbit lamp is an ancient traditional handicraft. The production method is simple, so almost every household can make it. Rabbit lanterns carry full memories of the Lantern Festival for those born in the 1980s. Every Lantern Festival season, we will come to make rabbit lanterns, go to lantern festivals, guess lantern riddles, etc. So how to make rabbit lanterns? The following editor will talk about Let’s share the production process together. ?

Introduction to the Rabbit Lantern

People often regard the Rabbit Lantern as a lucky thing, and wherever the Rabbit Lantern goes, it means that it will bring good luck and good luck. There, the wonderful and delicate making of rabbit lanterns became an ancestral art that was passed down from male to female in the village at that time. The folk custom of rabbit lanterns arose in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, people used this mascot to welcome gods and receive blessings. It also embodies the working people's prayers to the gods and their good wishes for a good harvest in the coming year.

The legend of rabbit lanterns

Rabbit lanterns originally originated during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Every year from the tenth to the fifteenth night of the first lunar month, people in this village celebrate the lanterns. The so-called The lantern passing activity means that one person from the family needs to hold a rabbit lantern and join the parade, and they will play the gongs, drums and suonas, walk through the streets and alleys, and finally gather in the ancestral hall. Afterwards, the villagers will go to the homes of the people who have been pre-arranged to have fun, and the host will prepare refreshments to entertain the villagers, because the arrival of the rabbit lantern team means that the villagers have brought good luck to their families. ?

Characteristics of making rabbit lanterns

When making rabbit lanterns, the skeleton is generally made of handmade bamboo strips, so it is full of traditional flavor; Secondly, wooden wheels are needed, and the wooden wheels need to be polished smoother and smoother with sandpaper; as for the rabbit lamp paper, it must have high light transmittance, and the candle must be lit inside. Able to shine. ?

How to make a rabbit lantern

Before making, you need to prepare a roll of iron wire about five meters long, and the rabbit lantern is composed of ten circles of different sizes. , thus representing the perfect and beautiful meaning. These ten circles respectively constitute the body, head, ears, tail, etc. of the rabbit lantern. Next, you need to tie the packing straps into a cylindrical rabbit body frame. Then you need to find five packing straps separately. Tie two perfect circular iron rings to serve as the rabbit's head, followed by the rabbit's ears and tail. After making two ovals, cross the two ovals and fix them. The two smaller circles can line the front and rear ends of the body. At this time, the rabbit's body is ready. The next step is to determine the rabbit head, which needs to be coordinated with the overall body. The next step is to glue the ears and rabbit head. Finally, fix the tail. After the shaping is completed, the base needs to be made into a four-cornered wheel, and finally the rabbit lantern is papered. At the same time, paste the eyes and red mouth to beautify the rabbit lantern.

Introduction to Rabbit Lanterns

Ningdu’s lanterns are colorful and come in many varieties, and “rabbit lanterns” are just one of the lanterns in Ningdu. Lighting the "rabbit lantern" is a large-scale event that every household in Dabu Village takes part in every year. The "passing lantern" is a lantern in the shape of a mother and child rabbit tied with colored paper, which is lit in the village, ancestral hall, Touring from house to house. According to the locals, the folk custom of "passing lanterns" was introduced by a businessman surnamed Luo in the village during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. When he was trading in Yangzhou, he became fascinated by "rabbit lanterns" and "carrying lanterns" (another large lantern, which can be seen in the lanterns). Various lifelike characters are installed, and the characters can dance and dance through the power of fire. I pretended to be dumb and paid homage to the master who made these two kinds of lanterns. I worked hard for the master for three years before I learned this skill and brought it back to the big cloth.

"Passing the lanterns" is a collective activity for people in Dabu Village. Every year from the 10th to the 15th day of the first lunar month, people in Dabu Village celebrate the lantern festival, and it is also the most lively and prosperous day in Dabu Village. In Dabu Village, which has a population of more than 5,000, every household must put up a rabbit lantern with a mother and two cubs hugging each other. The rabbit lamp is composed of three parallel rabbit heads. The rabbit in the middle is the bigger rabbit, and the two next ones are small rabbits. The rabbit lantern is made of bamboo strips and pasted with red, green and white paper. A bowl of white rice soaked in camellia oil is placed inside the rabbit's body, and rushes are placed in the middle of the rice. During the parade, the wicks are lit. When the "Lantern Passing" event begins, one person from each family will join the large parade holding a rabbit lantern. The procession of traveling lanterns is led by two fan lanterns, followed by rabbit lanterns in a majestic parade. A dragon lantern more than 20 meters long was finally carried by hundreds of people (in the early years when there were no outside workers in the village, it was thousands of people)

Amidst the sound of gongs, drums and suonas that filled the sky, The procession of traveling lanterns, composed of nearly a thousand people, went from house to house, through the streets and alleys, on the field ridges and by the ponds, and finally gathered in the ancestral hall. After that, the villagers would go to the homes of pre-arranged people to have a good time according to their families, houses and land. These people all had happy events before the year, or their families had passed the college entrance examination or had a daughter-in-law, or their family members had a lot of fun. When a new member is born, the host must prepare tea and banquets to welcome the congratulatory folks, because the arrival of the "rabbit lantern" team symbolizes that the folks have brought good luck to the family.

For several days in a row, the people of Dabu Village were filled with joy and celebration. Thousands of "rabbit lanterns" were like star-lit lanterns, lighting up the dark sky and earth into shapes that were long, round, dots, lines, curved or in pieces. Bright and brilliant.

The above is the relevant content about rabbit lanterns, I hope it can be helpful to everyone!