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winter_north铁杆木虫 (职业作家)
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[交流]
The Lantern Festival
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The Lantern Festival, is often traditionally regarded as the end of the celebration the of the Chinese New Year. In my hometown, this is a festival more for children, or at least it was when I was young. The Lantern Festival, is the festival of lanterns, so, on this day, at every site in the house, people will use lanterns instead of lights, so, local people in my hometown will say, it is the holiday for lights today, during the 365 days a year, only today lights can have a rest.  When I was young, there was no electricity in my hometown, so, people use lights burning kerosene. I still remember the mixed smell of kerosene and the smoke, when I wrote my homework or do things near such a light. There are many kinds of lanterns in my hometown.  The most traditional one is called fire-pot. It is made with the skin of corn plant or sorghum plant. In winter, before the Chinese New Year comes, craftsmen will separate the skin from corn or sorghum plants, especially when the weather is sunny. Then they knit the skin into a syringe like cage, with round openings at both ends. Then the cage will be covered with red paper. The last step is to prepare the bottom and handle for this lantern. People use a piece of square and thin wood, drill two holes at two corners at the opposite locations, then a thin bamboo will be curved by heating into a "U" shape, the two ends will be inserted into the two holes on the bottom. The cage is then put on the handle and bottom. When using, put a burning candle on the wood bottom. This is a lantern already! Some farmers in my neighborhood are really very good at making things like such a lantern. Do not judge them with the untidy coats or the bearded face, do not judge them with their coarse hands. One of my uncles, who has never went to school, and has a poor hearing, he can make very small cages for crickets, and such cages look very delicate and splendid!  Before the Lantern Festival, relatives at the mother side will send some lanterns as presents to young children. Often, a fire-pot lantern is necessary, because people think this is the authentic lantern. Another tradition of Lantern Festival in my hometown is the dough animals. Before this festival, mothers will make dough animals for children, too often children will take part in, this is their festival, and making dough animals is so interesting. Dough is made into the shape of all kinds animals, especially those of the so-called zodiac, from mouse to pig, my mother also made a double animal, she calls it "chicken on ox". I was young many, many years ago, when we were still very poor. So, imagine, in a winter night, in a warm kitchen, with one or two dim kerosene lights, beside a large board, several children are working with dough, under the direction of their mother. On the board, there are already some products, white animals with shining, black eyes, and a piece of red radish in their mouth. At that time, to make dough animals, only wheat flour, black beans, red radish, scissors and a comb are needed. Scissors are used to cut things like wings, mouth or years for the animals, combs are used to make decorations, especially the shape of feathers for birds, in each mouth, a thin piece of radish will in inserted, and, beans for eyes. After these dough animals are steamed, at the night of the Lantern Festival, the will be arranged in front of a candle. After that, people will eat them. Often, children will get more happiness from such a festival, they will make their only animal according to the year they were born in. And, after the dough animals are steamed, they will cherish their own animal more than others. At the night of the Lantern Festival, there will often be a lantern parade in the village. Children in the village gather together, with lighted lanterns in their hands, they go to visit every house hold, the host and hostess often will give each child small gifts, such as small candles, or candies, peanuts. As the parade march on, children will often sing, "Lantern parade, we need oil and wax!" This is right like the tradition of "tricky or treaty" at the Halloween in US. My hometown is on the side of a big valley, on the other side, there are other villages. So, at the evening of the Lantern Festival, you can see troops of lanterns moving in the villages on the other side of the valley, in the dark. At that time, there was no electricity. Children will get excited to see this, and they will shout towards the other troop.  Things were changing rapidly after I left my hometown, most these traditions may do not exist any more, because there is electricity, people do not live in cave dwellings at the side of the valley, and many people have left the countryside village. Anyway, Happy Lantern Festival!   [ Last edited by winter_north on 2013-2-24 at 17:06 ] |
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