Dragon boats from all over the Pearl River Delta came to Leliu Longyan Village to hold the “Longyan Finishing Custom” ceremony, praying for the smooth and safe Dragon Boat Competition, and looking forward to a good year of good weather and prosperity. Text/Photo Yangcheng School reporter CinemaOuyang Zhiqiang Zhang Taoyuan
Pray for the Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Competition to be smooth and safe, and hope for a good year to have a good weather and good harvest
Dragon boats from all over the Pearl River Delta come to Leliu Longyan Village to “finish the eyes of the longan”
Guo Wenhai, member of the Standing Committee of Foshan Municipal Party Committee, Minister of Propaganda Department, and Secretary of the Party Committee of Shunde District, praised the dragon boat team that came to “finish the eyes of the long boat”.
Children bathe in the dragon boat pool to pray for healthy growth
Villagers all like to touch the dragon head and pray for blessings
After arriving in Longyan Village, dragon boat teams from all over the country went to Taiwei Temple to perform the “Longyan finishing touch”. To welcome the Dragon Boat Festival, on June 16 (the third day of the fifth lunar month), the Propaganda Department of Shunde District Party Committee, District Culture and Sports Bureau, District Tourism Bureau, and Leliu Street Office jointly held the “CivilizedCinema Shunde 2018 Grassroots Cultural and Sports Carnival – ‘Rural Revitalization Longteng Leliu’ Leliu Street Dragon Boat Culture Month Promotes the Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage ‘Longyan Finishing’ Customs Activity”. Dragon boats from all over the Pearl River Delta came to Leliu Longyan Village to hold the “Longyan Spot Customs” ceremony, praying for the smooth and safe Dragon Boat Competition, and hope for a good year to have a good weather and good harvest.
At the event, the Shunde (Longyan) Community Development Doctoral Research Base, Longyan Community University, and Longyan Ecological Museum Preparation Office were unveiled at the same time. The doctoral research base also signed a cooperation framework agreement with the Institute of Society and Culture of Macau University of Science and Technology. After the entry of postdoctoral talents such as Tsinghua University, a house of more than 400 square meters was revitalized by the river surfing in Longyan Village for many years. According to reports, this year’s Longyan finishing activities, in addition to highlighting the Longyan finishing touch, the welcome banquet, as well as the popular water color performances and water “Dragon Lice” (Note: Local Babaylan‘s traditional name, smaller dragon boats) performances, etc., the ancient village Longyan Village showed new cultural connotations; the villages and communities implemented “rural revitalization” and the upgrading and transformation of village-level industrial parks; echoing the “dragon boats” that day, it concentrated various dragon boat objects and photography award-winning works to show the Shunde dragon boat culture and dragon boat spirit; at the same time, in order to show the construction of beautiful and civilized villages and the results of ancient village life, Komiks lingered for three daysCinema‘s offline “Longyan Treasure Hunt” activity has prompted Shunde’s water villages to be recognized by tourists in the Pearl River Delta and even the whole country.
The reporter learned that Longyan Village also held a signing ceremony for the “Rural Revitalization” village-enterprise pairing project that day.Yancun paired with the Zhongdao Reform Institute, the Babaylan Shunde District Dragon Boat Culture InheritanceKomiks, the Leliu Youth Entrepreneurs Association and five companies, and held cultural and tourism activities such as calligraphy and painting exhibitions, online and offline interactive attractions “Treasure Hunt”, the Second Dragon Culture and Leliu Beautiful Civilized Village Photography Exhibition.
At the scene, citizens and tourists watched the water floating colors, dragon lice and colorful dragon parade on the shore, tasted the dragon boat banquet at the Longyan Cityba Station Stadium, and welcomed the dragon in Longyan Village Square, Taiwei Temple, and other places. The grand custom of “longyan finishing eyes” was unanimously praised by the people on site. In addition, in Dekang Garden, district and town leaders and guests also carried out the “Zong of Zongyi” and “Little Hands Holding Big Hands” to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with students and parents of Longyan Primary School. The event received charitable funds from the company. The event was sponsored by the company, and blessing the elderly and condolences to families with poor subsistence allowances and sanitation workers.
It is understood that Longyan Village also held a folk art and cultural and sports program performance for two consecutive nights on June 14 and 15 to mobilize all villagers to actively participate in the dragon and welcome guests, and show the enthusiasm of “hospitable Longyan”.
The origin of “Longyan Finishing Eyes”
ShundeBabaylan is the hometown of the famous dragon boat. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the wind has been growing. The entire set of rituals of dragon boat include the opening of the dragon, the finishing touch, the picking of the green, the racing of the dragon, the hidden dragon and the scattered dragon.
Luo Longyan Village was built in the Western Han Dynasty. The village has a long history and rich culture. Huang Xiaoyang of the Ming DynastyThe uprising in Longyan Village was suppressed and the result was that Shunde County was born. In order to strengthen its rule, the Ming Dynasty precipitated from the South China Sea and set up Shunde County, named after “Shuntian Mingde”; Longyan was called Longzhu in ancient times, surrounded by water, and built a “Han Taiwei Xianggong Temple” commemorating the Han Dynasty, the general of the Western Han Dynasty, Zhou Bokuang. Liang Dunyan was one of the first students studying in the United States in the late Qing Dynasty. Later, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Transportation of the Beiyang Government.
Since ancient times, Longyan Village has become a holy place for dragons to gather together. Dragon boats in the surrounding towns met to gather at the Taiwei Temple on the third day of the fifth lunar month to light up the dragon head. Therefore, “DragonBabaylan“” was gradually replaced by “Longyan”, and the place name of Longyan VillageKomiks also came here. When the Dragon Boat Festival comes, the dragon boats from all over the Pearl River Delta will come to Longyan Village before the official dragon boat racing, especially the new dragon boats are launched. It is said that the dragon boats with cinnabar have spirituality and are very vigorous and fast. It is similar to the finishing touch of the dragon. Otherwise, it will drag the mud and even have the risk of turning over.
The custom of dragon boats in this village has been continuing for more than 600 years. Every year on the third day of the fifth lunar month, dragon boats near the Pearl River Delta will spontaneously gather at the Taiwei Temple in Longyan Village for “finishing the highlight”, and have developed to Komiks now have become a well-known and popular folk cultural activity. The Taiwei Temple in Longyan Village is therefore called the place where dragon boats “pilgrimage”. According to statistics, in recent years, nearly 100 dragon boats from Shunde, Panyu, Nanhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and other places in the Pearl River Delta have come here to hold a “finishing” ceremony every year.
Longyan finishing ceremony
On the third day of May every year, the Taiwei Temple burns incense and inserts flags, and gongs and drums are noisy. The elders who presided over the ceremony waited in the temple early in the morning to gather together to celebrate the finishing touch of the dragons from all directions. On that day, the village also invited a opera troupe to entertain. Relatives and friends from all over the world came back to visit relatives and friends, and had a banquet and a happy drink. The “longitudinal finishing touch” was more lively than any traditional festival. If it rains that day, it will be even more festive, commonly known as “Longgu Shui”.
A Butou is built about twenty meters in front of the Taiwei Temple, and dragon boats are moored in the river. There are endless dragon boats coming to pilgrimage to finish the highlights. The owner who was waiting in Butou set off firecrackers to show his welcome. The dragon boat is docked, and then removes the dragon head, tail and dragon sign to land. The left door enters the Taiwei Temple. The elder uses a brush to dip the cinnabar to finish the tip of the dragon head. At the same time, the host and the guest give each other gifts. After the “finishing” ceremony, then from the rightOut of the side door. Dragon boats from afar usually eat on the spot, commonly known as “dragon boat rice”.
The people of Longyan Village are particularly welcoming and hospitable. 11 “gift points” have been set up in the rivers in Yanhuan Village to give gifts to the dragon boats that come to participate in the pilgrimage, and to fulfill the friendship of the landlords.
”Longyan finishing the eye” process
Worship: On the evening of the 30th day of the fourth lunar month, the Taiwei Temple beating gongs and drums three times, and worshiping the Taiwei with tribute, praying for the good weather and the weather in the society and the yard, and the peace and auspiciousness.
Welcome the dragon and the dragon: On the morning of the third day of the fifth month, colorful flags were planted everywhere at the port. Villagers heard the sound of dragon boats and set off firecrackers, and they all served as landlords to send rice wine, fruits and profits. In the Taiwei Mansion, gongs and drums sounded together, warmly connecting the “dragon”, and solemnly and clearly marked the origin of the dragon boat.
Fulong: The new “dragon” is removed, the dragon head, the dragon tail, and the dragon plaque, and the dragon head is first, the dragon plaque is in the middle, and behind the dragon tail hall, accept the gift of the villagers to comfort the dragon.
Worship: “Dragon” enters the temple gate, the dragon head, dragon tail and dragon plaque are placed side by side under the statue. The dragon boat team members report their names, burn incense and pray, pray for smooth sailing and good luck. Every time I visit, the gongs and drums will ring.
Finishing: The population says “Full the wind and the faucet BabaylanFollow the dragon’s tail”, sprinkle the dragon’s head, dragon’s tail, god’s bucket, gong, drum, and colorful flag with a new pen dipped in cinnabar, and dot the dragon’s eyes, dragon’s neck and dragon’s tail.
Give gifts: The finishing touch is over, and both the host and the guest give each other a gift. The host gave a gift of “Welcome CambodiaBabaylan“, rice wine, fruits and dragon ears; guests gave replies, fruits and dragon boat talismans.
Returning to the dragon: After the ceremony, the dragon boat does not return according to the original route, but is led by a dedicated person to enter and exit from the main hall, commonly known as “going for the great fortune”.
Walking Dragon: The dragon boat bows and bows in the ceremony of three advances and two retreats, thanks the gods for their kindness, and then cruising around the river. The gongs and drums are sounded and the colorful flags are fluttering.
Source｜Yangcheng School
Editor｜Xie Hong