Shanxi folk social fire is rich in content and diverse in forms. According to statistics, there are about 200 species in the province, which can be divided into gongs and drums, yangko, sedan chair, stilts, lights, simulated animals, simulated ghosts and gods, martial arts and so on.
At four o'clock in the afternoon of the fifteenth day of the first month, people from eight neighboring villages came here to see the story of the blood sea and the high platform in the fire in the folk community for three years. In a short time, the village was crowded with people, some sitting on their electric cars, some watching from the high-rise building on the second floor, and even some people watching from the trees. Some small businesses also rushed to sell candied haws and marshmallows, and children sat on the shoulders of adults, clamoring for food and watching the fun. What a lively scene!
Before the appearance, the performers in the village fired guns, one for the sake of the town and also heralded the beginning of the program.
The pioneers appeared first. They are a group of drunken people with clothes painted on their faces and bells in their hands. They had to walk alone, walking in a drunken posture, and their bells kept waving. Because there are too many people watching in the village, their task is to clear the way for the performers behind. If someone stands in the middle of the road, they will knock him down and even beat him up. Some villages have different ways to clean roads. They will set off firecrackers or whip horses, and the effect is the same, both heating the venue and opening the way.
Coming out from behind is our protagonist "Orfila". In this cold winter, they are naked (these performers have to drink some wine before they go on stage), covered in red blood, pretending to be cut by a knife, which is very realistic and creepy. Most of these "blood stories" show the notorious traitors and villains in history, such as "Heartbroken Chen Shimei", "Traitor Wang Jingwei", "Traitor Wu Sangui" and "Murder of Zhongliang Qin Heng".
Blood has the meaning of shaking evil spirits and eliminating evil spirits. With the story of blood as the carrier and the simple concept of justice, the people praise "getting rid of violence" and "chivalrous and awe-inspiring". It has pinned the good wishes of the working people in China to exorcise evil spirits, avoid disasters and pray for blessings.
Sometimes when I see this, I think, after so many years, these negative figures in history will still appear in the streets, looking too bloody, or accept this infinite stigma! This is also a punishment for their evil deeds.
These "bloody stories" really scared many children to cry, but we all know that behind this vivid, horrible, shocking and shocking story, it is just an illusion. Use buckwheat noodles to make broken arms, legs, hands and feet. Glue it with a proper amount of glue and hemp strips, match it with pig or sheep's viscera or human limbs according to the story, then disguise it, sprinkle pig or sheep's blood or red water to cause bloody horror, and a bloody story is completed.
According to the uncles and aunts who watched "Blood Story" since childhood, the current clothes are too fake and not true at all. I don't know if it is not easy for children to cheat when they grow up, or if this skill is not passed down well enough. Indeed, this skill is really bloody, tiring and troublesome, and few people can pass it on in detail. Now, the "blood story" has also been included in the national intangible cultural heritage. I really hope that this kind of "blood story" that worries you, surprises you, makes you unforgettable and makes you linger will flourish forever. This kind of "blood story" full of magic, entertainment and profound cultural accumulation can always become a carrier for practitioners to eliminate evil and promote good, vent their emotions and show their wisdom and vitality.
Next, everyone in the village performed on a high platform.
Gao Tai art is an "aerial stage" integrating drama, story, sculpture, painting, ironwood craft and decoration technology. Gao Tai's themes are popular plays, such as "The Passage of Things" and "The Tang Priest's Learning from the Scriptures". The skeleton of the high platform consists of three parts: table frame, iron bar and sitting fork. When installing the high platform, use wood, grass, mud, rope, cloth and other materials to decorate it by means of mounting, binding, painting, plastic, etc., so as to be lifelike and not show traces. Generally speaking, those who put on the high platform are courageous children of four or five years old. When welcoming the high platform, colorful flags, gongs and drums are in front, followed by the yangko team, which is very spectacular.
The children on the high platform are very young, sometimes they cry all the way to the end of the performance because they are afraid of it, and some children are so cute that they have fallen asleep on it. Adults often put a lollipop in their children's mouths to buy them off.
Every Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, Gao Tai becomes a folk art activity that people expect. It is of great research value to anthropology and folklore. It is a spontaneous traditional culture, which has both the interest of stories and the charm of opera; It not only has the charm of dance, but also has acrobatic stunts, exquisite sculpture forms and skills, embodies the wisdom and civilization of the Chinese nation, and has a profound mass base and extensive influence.
The inheritance of Gao Tai is also a very arduous task. This is because it is difficult to make Gao Tai, involving a large number of people. Generally, a table needs at least 20 people and at least four tables at a time. The performance activities need about 100 people, and the investment is relatively large. Because of this, Gao Tai's activities are becoming less and less, while Gao Tai's design requirements are high, and it needs an heir with certain artistic accomplishment, which is technically difficult.
After the fifteenth day of the first month, the year is completely over. Tomorrow, children will go to school, young people will work, and only some old people will be left in the village. Spring planting and autumn harvest will be another dull year.
I hope these treasures left by the older generation can be passed down well. I hope we can stop once in a while to look at the past and appreciate the art of generations. I hope our culture and skills in China will never be lost. I hope this new century can bear the burden of history.