Spring Festival
01 · Historical Records
In the organizational stage, the Culture Committee, which evolved from the old Sanguan (Three Officials) Society, is responsible for the election of the lantern officials: the heads of each clan put forward candidates and vote to decide. The lantern officials are divided into the Grand Official and the Second Official; those elected must come from families of three generations, be able to live in harmony with their neighbors, and enjoy a good reputation among the villagers.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Pingding Niangziguan Horse Racing Spring Festival custom is a festival custom spontaneously organized by the villagers of Xiadongzhai Village, Niangziguan Town, Yangquan City, Shanxi Province, whose main content comprises sacrifices, ritual observances, blessings, and deity entertainment (horse racing and shehuo folk performances). The practitioners of this custom are the villagers of Xiadongzhai and the surrounding area. Its history can be traced back to the Song and Yuan periods; by the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty it had essentially taken shape, and it gradually developed into the fixed pattern seen today. The custom runs from the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month to the second day of the second month of the following year, lasting about forty days, and can be divided into the stages of organization, preparation, activities, and conclusion. The specific sequence is as follows: on the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month the Culture Committee meets to select the "lantern officials"; on the second day of the first month the "announcement of the lantern officials" is formally made; from the third to the thirteenth days of the first month the activities are prepared; from the fourteenth to the fifteenth come the "receiving of the official seal," the "lantern inspection," the "settling of cases," and the "incense procession"; on the sixteenth comes the "shehuo performance"; on the eighteenth come the "handing over of the seal and stepping down" and the "rounding off of the lanterns"; and the activities end on the second day of the second month. It is a concentrated display of the Spring Festival customs of the Pingding Niangziguan area. The announcement of the lantern officials' selection is posted at the door of the newly elected lantern official's home on the second day of the first month, and that family beats gongs and drums and sets off firecrackers in celebration. In the preparation stage, all the costs of building archways, pasting lanterns, preparing the officials' meals, selecting horses, and rehearsing are funded by contributions raised from all the villagers, with no fixed amount; everyone gives what money and effort they can. The fourteenth to the sixteenth of the first month form the climax of the entire event, drawing visitors from neighboring villages and townships, surrounding cities and counties, and even other provinces, with total participation reaching tens of thousands. On the morning of the fourteenth, the Grand Official brings the deity's tablet and the official seal home for worship, and the Second Official brings the command flag home for worship. On the fifteenth, the Grand Official and the Second Official go with their families to the temple to burn incense. On the evenings of the fourteenth and fifteenth, the Grand Official and the Second Official separately inspect and comment on the lanterns hung by each household. During the lantern inspection they also accept complaints from the villagers and judge right and wrong. The horse racing takes place on the morning of the sixteenth, when people gallop on horseback along the old bluestone street, releasing the pressures of the past year's life, gathering the courage to face difficulties, and renewing their confidence to greet the better life of the coming year. The horse racing is immediately followed by the shehuo performance, which includes welcoming the fire and mock combat. In the concluding stage, on the eighteenth the Grand Official and the Second Official return the tablet of "Lord Sanguan" together with the official seal and the command flag to the temple for worship, and the two lantern officials formally step down. When the second day of the second month, the Dragon-Raising Festival, arrives and spring returns to the earth, the villagers begin preparing for spring plowing after the Culture Committee publishes the donation list and the accounts of funds used, and the entire Spring Festival activity comes to an end. Through this series of activities, ties between people are drawn closer, conflicts between people are resolved, cohesion among villagers is strengthened, and the sustainable development of the area is promoted.
Choosing the lantern officers
The village committee meets on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month, elects a senior and a junior officer by show of hands, and the good news is posted on their gates.
Taking office and inspecting lanterns
For two days the officers bring the deity’s seals home, inspect every household lantern and hear villagers’ disputes.
Horse racing and shehuo play
Horsemen charge along the stone street to release the year’s tension, followed by shehuo performance with fire and mock fights.
Handing back the seals and settling accounts
The officers return the seals to the temple on the eighteenth day, and on the second day of the second month the accounts are posted publicly.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Xiadongzhai, home of the Horse Racing Festival, lies in Niangziguan Town at the pass in the Taihang Mountains of eastern Shanxi; its old bluestone streets run down the slope, and the sight of horses galloping over such short, steep street surfaces is unique to the area. The power of the lantern officials extends only over this one street and the surrounding village community: once the announcement is posted, the whole village must obey their command, and the lantern inspection, the settling of cases, and the incense procession are all carried out in their name; on the eighteenth the seal is handed over and they step down, and their power dissolves together with the festival. This practice of entrusting administrative power to the festival and returning it to the villagers by way of the festival is rarely seen in the New Year festivals of the countryside of eastern Shanxi.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Spring Festival · Spring Festival · Spring Festival · Spring Festival · Spring Festival.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Horse Racing Festival strings sacrifice, ritual observances, blessings, and recreational activities into a single complete chain of more than forty days, from the selection on the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month to the publication of the accounts on the second day of the second month, with every link interlocking and none out of place. In recent years large numbers of the village's young adults have gone away to work, and they return just in time for the first month, so that there are actually more riders than in the old days; the Culture Committee's publication of the donation list and fund accounts has also kept the old fundraising rules alive.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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