Customs of Dukou Village

There are three temple fairs in Dukou Village a year, which are March 15th, June 23rd and September 26th. Among the three temple fairs, March 15 is the largest and has the greatest influence. Every February 15 is my birthday. On this day, there are temple fairs with a long history and far-reaching influence in Taiqinggong Town, Lu Yi, Henan Province, where I was born, and Dukou Village, Shahe, Hebei Province, where I practiced. Due to climatic reasons, the temple fair in Dukou Village was not changed to March 15 until the end of Qing Dynasty and the beginning of Republic of China. In 2007, Luyi County, Henan Province decided to resume the Laozi Temple Fair, which lasts for one month every year from February 15 to March 15. In Shahe, Hebei Province, during the Laozi Temple Fair in Dukou Village on March 15, 2007, the newly-built Yangjiang Sanjiaotang also held a grand opening ceremony. Although the two places are far apart, the customs echo each other from afar, and * * * commemorates and cherishes Laozi, a saint of the Chinese nation.

In Dukou Village, Lantern Festival is also called the 15th day of the first month, which is second only to the Spring Festival. The main customs of Lantern Festival include eating jiaozi, building archways, welcoming lanterns, setting off fireworks, dancing yangko, beating gongs and drums, walking on stilts, dancing with big heads and so on. In the process of playing lanterns every year, at the end of the lantern parade, there is always a table with a portrait of the great leader Chairman Mao on it. Candles are lit in front and fruits are placed, indicating that well diggers do not forget to draw water, and happiness does not forget to produce the party. People at the ferry will always miss Chairman Mao. In recent years, the Lantern Festival has gradually added some modern songs and dances with the flavor of the times.