Gaotai Yellow River Lantern Array

Gansu
🎧  Listen to Introduction

The Yellow River Lantern Array on Gaotai is called "Nine Palaces and Eight Diagrams Yellow River Array", also known as the Nine Bends Yellow River Array or Lantern Pole Club. It is said to have originated during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It was originally for the emperor to enjoy during the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and later spread to the people. The lantern array is based on the Yellow River Array set up by the Three Goddesses in "The Romance of the Gods" to avenge her brother Zhao Gongming. Only in this lantern field is there a saying that "the emperor and the people enjoy themselves on the 15th day of the first lunar month". There are 365 lanterns in the array, each representing 365 deities, and also symbolizing that there are gods who bless the people 365 days a year. Entering the lantern array and walking through it smoothly indicates that you will have smooth sailing for the whole year and your wishes will come true. There is a saying that "look up at the gods, and you will be successful in everything you do" and "ask for a lantern in front of the goddess, and you will not worry about your children or grandchildren". For thousands of years, the custom of pulling out lanterns to fulfill wishes has been circulating in the local area. Any woman of childbearing age who has been married for one or two years but has not gotten pregnant should pull out a lamp pole on the night of the 16th day of the first lunar month. Without extinguishing the lamp, she should take the lamp home and fill it with oil, burn it until dawn, and eat the lamp the next day, in the hope of a prosperous incense and early birth of a son. If you ask for one lamp pole, you will return two next year; if you ask for two lamp poles, you will return four next year. In the past, there was also a traditional rule that whoever hosted the lamp pole meeting would gather the dragon lanterns from the neighboring villages on the lantern field to drill the lantern array. The order of drilling was determined by the first person in each village meeting drawing lots, and the dragon from the village would go in last. At present, the Gaotai Yellow River Lantern Array is mainly inherited in Jiang Village, Heiquan Township, the county. The inheritors of the Gaotai Yellow River Lantern Array are mainly Yang Denggui, 68 years old, Yang Dengnian, 59 years old, and Yan Ming, 45 years old, from the third community of Jiang Village, Heiquan Township, the county. The Gaotai Yellow River Lantern Array has been announced as a project on the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Zhangye City, and has been applied for the third batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage list.

Intangible culture related to the heritage

China tourist attractions related to the heritage