Umbrella head ring of Yangko

Umbrella head yangko has this title because there is a pivotal role in the yangko team-umbrella head. Umbrella head is the leader of a yangko team, whose main duties are to command the overall situation, select programs, lead the yangko team to line up the streets, find venues, improvise yangko and thank the outside world on behalf of the yangko team. The umbrella head is neatly dressed (clothing is selected with the changes of the times. In the early Republic of China, it was a gown and a hat, and now it is a suit and tie). The umbrella head must be elegant and generous. It has a flower umbrella in its right hand and a ring in its left hand. The ring, commonly known as "tiger lining", is an annular cylinder made of copper, with a diameter of about 10 cm. It is shaped like a bracelet with a small ball inside, which will make a crisp sound when it is shaken. The role of the ring is: first, as a guide, symbolizing power. The second is to direct the gongs and drums band as a signal before singing yangko or acting. The umbrella is an ordinary flower umbrella with HongLing around it. When performing, it rotates to the left and flutters up and down with the music rhythm, which is light and comfortable. According to folklore, umbrellas and rings are both instruments to subdue demons and catch monsters. If so, it is closer to the ancient Nuo dance. I just haven't found a reliable basis yet.

Today, the shape of the umbrella of the Yangko team is actually the product of several changes. Before the Republic of China, we didn't use flower umbrellas or umbrellas, but used an umbrella cover equivalent to an ancient yellow umbrella. Mr. Gao, the famous umbrella head, once sang the lyrics of "Red umbrella falls purple and gold helmet" in the 1940s. It shows that the era of using flower umbrellas is not long ago. Pholiota adiposa was a symbol of majesty in ancient China, and it was only used when the emperor was on patrol. Therefore, the flower umbrella in the Yangko team is not only a guide, but also a symbol of majesty.

Umbrellas are not only used in yangko teams, but also in yangko in many places in northern China. The umbrella in Jiexiu County, Shanxi Province is made of red silk, with a white tin cone at the top and a two-meter-long red lacquer wooden stick on the handle, which is embroidered with a pattern that Zhao Kuangyin sent Jingniang thousands of miles away. There is a green silk tapestry around the red umbrella. The shape of this kind of umbrella is very similar to the red umbrella in the umbrella head yangko. There are also two singers in Qinyuan County in the southeast of Shanxi Province. One of them is holding an umbrella and the other is holding a ring. After you sing, I come on stage, improvise lyrics, tease each other, and become more and more high-pitched, so it is called "yangko" This kind of singing is also very similar to the umbrella head yangko. As for the Yangko in the Yellow River valley in northern Shaanxi, it is closer to the umbrella head Yangko. All these umbrella yangko are of the same origin and different streams.

There are various legends about the origin of the umbrella head. It is said that Jiang Ziya, under the protection of God, led all the immortals to save all the people. It is also said that Liu Xiu, a MSI in China, is imitating a folk patrol with an umbrella in his hand. None of this is reliable, but it is recorded in Shan Hai Jing. Overseas West Sutra: "Xia Hou rode two dragons, covered three floors with clouds, held the ring in his left hand, and held the ring in his right hand, wearing a jade ring". Hou Qi is riding two dragons, surrounded by three clouds, holding a feather umbrella in his left hand and Yuhuan in his right hand, imposing. This image of him is exactly the same as the umbrella head yangko, that is, two dragons open the way and the umbrella head surrounded by colorful flags is very similar.

It is said that this Kai also secretly brought actions such as "Nine Arguments" and "Nine Songs" from the sky to the earth for teaching, and made them into songs and dances, and ordered singers and dancers to perform with oxtails in the joyful field north of the Universiade (see "China Myths and Legends"). Qi was the son of Yu, and later succeeded Yu as the monarch of Xia. Yu enjoys high prestige among the people. Whether the umbrella-headed yangko is related to the legends of Qi is unknown, but as a folk art of the Han nationality, it will not refuse the influence of anything, including myths, legends, stories, operas and so on.