Ceremony of“welcoming fireworks”

Erguan is delivering a speech.

Now it’s time for the Shehuo show. Based on well-known stories selected from classical Chinese novels, such as The Three Kingdoms and The Outlaws in the Marsh, the Xiadongzhai Shehuo show consists of five sections, and in each section, two confronting parties fight with each other using fists, sticks, swords, and other weapons. Wearing professional attire and carrying props, every movement of the Shehuo players is nimble and neat, continuously winning thunderous applause. All of the Shehuo players are villagers of Xiadongzhai; most of them are teenagers but there are also men in their 30s or even 40s. The Shehuo team first performs at Guandaokou and then moves to Dengsanlan for more wonderful shows. With the conclusion of the Shehuo show, the Lantern Festival celebration in the village comes to an end.

Shehuo team is performing.

It’s believed that people become too relaxed in the first lunar month and consequently, evil spirits will come in. To drive them away, a couple of young and rugged men carry a large drum through the whole village from one family to another. Wherever they arrive, they beat the drum loudly in the hopes of dispersing the evil spirits, and the host will thank them by giving them a bottle of wine or a pack of cigarettes as gifts.

On the 18th day of the first lunar month, a ritual is held to move the shrine of the “three gods” to another family. A parade of performers, including those of Shehuo, Yang’er dance, Jin Opera, and Bayin ensemble, as well as Lantern Festival celebration committee members, led by Duguan and Erguan carry colorful flags, lanterns, and all kinds of sacred items. When the “three gods” arrive at the new accommodating family, Duguan and Erguan kowtow to return the “official” flag and seal, signaling their leaving office. In the year of 2007, the “three gods” eventually settled down in Damiao, the oldest temple in the village, terminating their history with no fixed abode.