On the festival, Shehuo show is popular in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province and North China’s Shanxi Province. Shehuo is a mass entertainment that involves a great deal of performers, virtually enabling almost all the men in a village to participate either in the performance or the preparation work. It’s rooted in the primitive sacrificial activities in which ancient people prayed for harvest and affluence from “She”, originally meaning the God of Earth, and “Huo”, literally meaning fire which ancient people believed to have the magic power to drive away evil spirits. Shehuo in many villages is more like acrobatics or martial arts performances.
An age-old festival
The carnival-like Lantern Festival, with a history of more than 2,000 years, is a rare escape from busy work in modern times,It’s believed that the festival originated in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) and flourished into a pure festive carnival in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties.
There are many different beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But one thing for sure is that it had something to do with religious worship. According to one legend, the festival was a time to worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times who was believed to control the destiny of the human world. Beginning with Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite the country, all emperors of subsequent dynasties ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Throughout the Han Dynasty, Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remain from the cremation of Buddha's body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China.
Until the Sui Dynasty in the sixth century, Emperor Yangdi invited envoys from other countries to China to see colorful lighted lanterns and enjoy gala performances. By the beginning of the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century, lantern displays would last three days. The emperor also lifted the curfew, allowing people to enjoy festive lanterns day and night. It is not difficult to find Chinese poems which describe this happy scene. In the Song Dynasty, the festival was celebrated for five days in a row and the activities began to spread to many big cities in China. Colorful glass and even jade were used to make lanterns, with figures from folk tales painted on the lanterns.
Editor: Dong Jirong
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