Nuo opera is one of the most popular local operas in Zheng'an. It is a combination of Nuo dance and drama, and is known as a living fossil of drama. The singing is primitive and rich, delicate and pleasant; the Nuo dance performance is rough and flamboyant, exaggerated and vivid. The songs sung by Nuo masters are called Nuo songs, and the dances they perform are called Nuo dances. Nuo opera originated from Nuo songs and Nuo dances. At first, stories were performed with songs and dances, and later the image of Zhong Kui appeared in Nuo rituals, and Nuo opera came into being. Actors wearing willow masks play the legendary Nuo god who drives away the plague, performing with repeated and large-scale dance movements, mostly on fixed festivals, with a very primitive dance style. Nuo opera troupes appear in Zheng'an's urban and rural areas in birthdays, weddings, Taoist temples, festivals, temple fairs and major celebrations as "Chong Nuo singing opera", which is one of the primitive religious sacrificial activities performed by wizards to drive away ghosts, worship gods, and expel plagues and evil spirits. The purpose of exorcising evil spirits, warding off disasters and bringing good luck to the whole family is to entertain gods and people. To date, there are still nearly ten altars (Nuo opera troupes) in Anchang, Zhongguan, Shiping, Liudu, Xiaoya and other places that retain the original masks and costumes, and they are active in the vast rural areas in the form of "Chong Nuo", "beating ghosts Gelao" and "dancing gods". Nuo opera has a long history, originating from the primitive religion of folk beliefs, the Wu Nuo sacrificial rituals of witch worship, nature worship and ancestor worship. Folk legends say that the Nuo God Grandpa and the Nuo God Lady reproduced human beings, and the Gelao people regarded the Nuo God Grandpa and the Nuo God Lady as their ancestors. Later, people prayed to their ancestors Nuo God Grandpa and Nuo God Lady for treatment of diseases, disasters, children and blessings, and longevity, and every prayer was answered. Therefore, the Gelao people called the Nuo opera performance "Chong Nuo Fanyuan". To ask ancestors for blessings, one must make them happy and reward them, so there are ritual activities of rewarding and entertaining gods. As early as the pre-Qin period, there were witch songs and Nuo dances that entertained both gods and people. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Nuo opera was formed and developed rapidly in various places. Guizhou's Nuo opera absorbed the artistic elements of lanterns. Therefore, Nuo opera, also known as Nuotang opera and Duangong opera, is a form of opera that absorbs the essence of folk opera on the basis of folk sacrificial rituals. Nuo opera is divided into three types: Nuotang opera, Di opera, and Yang opera. The main content of Nuotang opera is Nuotang opera, which includes three types: singing and dancing, rap, and opera; many programs belong to the form of rap, usually performed by one person, and the voices and movements of several characters must be performed at the same time. Di opera is a sacrificial ceremony held by the Tunbu people, descendants of the soldiers who stayed in Yunnan and Guizhou to garrison and guard the border during the "Northern Expedition" in the early Ming Dynasty, to worship their ancestors. There are no folk life dramas or talented men and beautiful women dramas, and all the performances are martial arts dramas reflecting historical stories. It is performed by the Duangong Master for the living after the ritual, so it mainly performs small plays that reflect folk life, and the singing tunes are also mostly absorbed from folk small plays such as flower drums and lanterns. From ancient times to the present, "Nuo" has played an important role in the spiritual life of the Gelao people. They believe that "Nuo ritual" has the power to drive away ghosts, repay gods, and eliminate disasters and seek refuge. "Nuo" has two types: Xian Nuo and Dou Nuo. Nuo makes a wish for the host, and uses Nuo dance performances to show the Gengjiao wish; drama makes a wish for the host, and uses Nuo drama singing to ensure that people and wealth are prosperous. Xian Nuo requires killing three animals, writing the year of handover, fearing that the luck is limited, praying for the longevity to be added, and making a wish, which is mainly used to continue the wish for longevity and continue the soul. Dou Nuo is a Taoist offering for the longevity, only the knife head is used, no animal energy is needed, and it is mainly used for lost souls (sudden disasters). The Nuo sacrifice ceremony of "opening the altar" is the core of the Chong Nuo vow-fulfilling activities, which includes inviting gods, welcoming gods, paying tribute to gods, and sending gods off. After these ceremonies, there are Nuo operas with rich repertoires. Nuo dance is also called "big Nuo" and "jumping Nuo", commonly known as "ghost play" or "jumping ghost face". Folk dances with the functions of exorcising ghosts and epidemics and offering sacrifices are generally performed from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. It is an ancient sacrificial primitive dance. The dancers wear hideous masks and dress up as the legendary "Fang Xiangshi". They hold a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. While dancing, they shout "Nuo, Nuo", run to every corner, jump and dance, search for ominous things, in order to expel epidemic ghosts and pray for peace. There are generally two forms of performance: one is performed by four protagonists, the performers wear masks like crowns, wear animal skins, hold spears and shields in their hands, and make the sound of "Nuo, Nuo" from their mouths. The other type consists of twelve people, each with red hair and painted skin, holding a several-foot-long whip, swinging it to make a sound, and shouting the names of various gods who specialize in eating evil ghosts and beasts, and each dancing with music accompaniment. The play is a singing and oral play, and the actors perform stories on the stage in makeup. In order to pray for the prosperity of the four nights, the prosperity of people and wealth, and the prosperity of people and wealth. There is a saying in the literary play of Nuo Opera that "seven tight, eight slow, and nine quiet". The singing tunes are mostly passed down orally by father and son, master and apprentice. The tunes are complicated, and the master of the altar calls the tune to start the rhythm and sing, including nine boards and thirteen tunes, roaring a flower, roaring four pillars, back mountain slope sheep, back noise, etc. According to the purpose of Nuo sacrifice, it can be divided into: emergency Nuo, longevity Nuo, seeking children Nuo, passing the test Nuo, etc. Emergency Nuo is a person who is in a critical condition and life and death are difficult to predict. It is believed that there are ghosts, and the Nuo altar master is invited to the home to exorcise. Emergency Nuo can also be used to ward off the gods and madness (thinking that one goes crazy when encountering evil gods and evil ghosts); the longevity Nuo is to prolong the life of the elderly; the child-seeking Nuo is for couples who have been married for a long time and have no children, and they hope to have children through the Nuo; the pass Nuo is a Nuo ritual held to make children under the age of twelve grow up smoothly and drive away the ghosts and monsters that are entangled in them. In addition, there are peace Nuo, wealth and fortune Nuo, etc., all of which are aimed at praying for the safety of people and animals and a good harvest. Various types of Nuo rituals often have their specific purposes. But in general, these Nuo rituals are mostly to free individuals or families from difficult situations. According to the scale of the sacrifice, it can be divided into big wishes and small wishes. The big wish requires bamboo strips and colored paper to make an altar (archway) and a full-house play. The small wish does not make an altar, and the sacrifice is the main focus, supplemented by the play, or even no play. The larger-scale Nuo ritual is called "Chong Nuo", and the smaller-scale one is called "Da Baofu". Nuo rituals are mostly based on "making wishes" to gods. Generally, when a family member is seriously ill or encounters a disaster, they go to the Nuo altar master or other wizard to check the cause, such as what kind of evil spirits they have violated, what gods they have offended, what evil stars they have encountered, whether there are any old wishes that have not been fulfilled, etc. Then they make a vow. If the body recovers, the disaster is eliminated, and the elderly live longer, they will hold a ceremony to repay the Nuo wish, offer sacrifices to the gods, and exorcise the evil spirits that have haunted people. Nuo sacrifices originated from early witchcraft. People believed that there were "gods" in all things in nature, and prayed for the gods to bless them, hoping that ghosts and evil spirits would not harm people, which gave rise to ghost-praying activities. At the same time, people also tried to overcome the dangerous environment with their own strength, and believed that humans could also take corresponding measures according to their own wishes, such as using spells, talismans, amulets, magic swords and arrows, or wearing masks, - body, and beating musical instruments to exorcise ghosts and evil spirits, which formed the activities of exorcising ghosts and evil spirits. Praying to ghosts and exorcising ghosts are the main contents of witchcraft and the earliest form of Nuo activities. Later, this kind of witchcraft activity gradually became perfect, with characters, masks, props, costumes, spells, activity time and occasion. People integrated the illusory imagination with the real practice, which was the early Nuo sacrifice activity. The purpose of the Nuo sacrifice ceremony is to relieve people's confusion in birth, aging, illness and death. The process of sacrifice is that the Nuo altar master sets up an altar in the house of the wisher and holds a ritual process of communication between people and gods according to certain regulations. The Nuo sacrifice ceremony of Chong Nuo (also called dancing gods or dancing big teeth) is performed by a wizard called Duangong. People put their hopes on Duangong to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings. If there is something, they will ask Duangong to come to their home to set up an altar and Chong Nuo. When a family encounters bad things, they need to perform Nuo to turn bad things into good things. When there are elderly people in the family, they need to perform Shou Nuo to pray for longevity. When there are no children, they need to perform Nuo to pray for children. When children are prone to illness, they need to carry the gods to "jump over the gate of the house" and "protect the gate evil" to pray for safety. There are half-hall Nuo, middle-hall Nuo and full-hall Nuo rituals. Half-hall Nuo requires three to five masters and takes one night. It is mainly for those who are seriously ill in the family. Middle-hall Nuo requires five to six masters and takes at least one day and one night, and at most five days and five nights. It is mainly used to fulfill vows. Full-hall Nuo requires more than twelve masters and takes at least five days. It is also used to fulfill vows. Make the four great wishes in the hall, and the next generation will come to fulfill them. When asking a master to fulfill a wish, except for weddings and funerals, other forms of wish fulfillment must look up the book to find the date. The master of the Nuo altar who is invited to make a wish is generally the one who presides over the ceremony. Ask for the Mountain King (Mountain King Bodhisattva), ask for lucky money, and then use the morning when the first beast or bird enters the house on that day as the standard, and read the three books to predict the date. On the chosen auspicious day, the master of the altar will bring the ritual utensils to the owner's home. Before the ceremony, the hall must be set up. The Nuo hall is set up in the main room of the host's house. The main wall of the central hall is the incense that the host usually offers to "Heaven, Earth, King, Parents, and Teachers". Hang the Three Pure Ones, Wang Lingguan, and Ma Yuanshuai on the incense, covering all the household gods on the incense. The whole hall of Nuo must set up a memorial archway (called "Three Pure Ones Hall" or "Dragon Hall Treasure Frame"). The gods on the Three Pure Ones picture are very complex, bringing together the gods of various religions. Wang Lingguan picture and Ma Yuanshuai picture, simple altars hang these two god pictures on both sides of the Three Pure Ones picture (left Lingguan, right Yuanshuai). Complex altars have memorial archways on both sides of the central hall, and the pictures are hung inside the memorial archways. Two large square tables are placed in front of the Three Pure Ones, and then the head of the ancestor is brought out with bamboo supporting its neck. The Nuo gods wearing robes, namely Nuogong and Nuomu, also known as Niangniang and Yeye (also known as "Dongshan Shenggong" and "Nanshan Shengmu"), are fixed on the altar with men on the left and women on the right (Nuogong and Nuomu are the main gods of the Nuo altar. Legend has it that they are "Fuxi and Nuwa". After the flood submerged mankind, the two brothers and sisters got married and created human population. Later, they became Nuo gods to drive away evil spirits and eliminate disasters for the people). Nuo towers and curtains are hung on the altar. There are five offerings on the table, one for Yin mat and one on the stove. There are incense burners and offerings on the table, and oil lamps and incense are lit in the middle. There are also swords, tokens, plaques, and gongs for carrying gods. Under the table are the divine soldiers (a small statue of a couple, commonly known as "Xiao San"), and on the right side of the table is where the master beats the gongs and drums. In front of the table is a bamboo mat, on which are placed the Nuo gods, 36 upper Nuo gods, 24 middle Nuo gods, and 12 lower Nuo gods. The master performs on the mat. After the building is erected and the camp is set up, there is a ritual of "making mats". The master dances and sings about the "origin" (origin) of the bamboo mat, including the growth of bamboo, cutting bamboo, cutting bamboo, weaving mats, weaving locks on the mats (used to lock evil spirits), and using mats to mobilize the soldiers and horses of the gods. A "Gongcao Hall" is set up in the courtyard, with a Gongcao picture hanging inside. A square table is surrounded by a bamboo mat, and incense and candles are lit inside, and wine, tea and other offerings are placed. The master's altar picture is hung on the right side of the shrine in the house, and a small table is also placed in front of the picture. There are many gods painted on the master's altar picture, and the names of the ancestors of all generations are written in the lower half of the picture. During many parts of the ritual (such as opening the altar, building the bridge, going up the cooking, and climbing the knife mountain), the master must count the birth and death years of the masters of all generations, invite them to the Nuo hall to assist in the ritual, and meditate on the voice, appearance and smile of the master when he was imparting the Dharma. During the entire ritual, there must be masters of all generations in the Nuo hall to guard the altar, assist in the ritual, and protect the master in charge of the altar. When the master in charge of the altar (that is, the Duangong) opens the altar and performs the ritual, he must first beat the gongs and drums (also called the dog gongs). The master in charge of the altar wears a Buddhist crown, a skirt around his waist, and a plaque on his shoulders. He holds the master's knife (an iron ring with a handle, with dozens of small iron rings of varying sizes on the ring) in his right hand and an ox horn in his left hand. The master in charge of the altar beats the drum, blows the ox horn, and the apprentice beats the gong. First, two gongs and drums are played to indicate the opening of the altar. The first altar sends out the memorial and runs the gongcao (the four gongcao of the year, month, day and hour). The second altar invites the three realms of gods (the gods of the upper realm, the gods of the middle realm, and the gods of the lower realm). The master of the altar sets up the table, makes divinations, judges good and bad luck, and chants "Opening the stage to invite the gods". The third altar chants "Dig a hole" to release the soldiers in the hole, each doing their job and taking their own responsibilities; the bridge is moved to invite the gods to come over the bridge and gather at the altar. The fourth altar leads the soldiers to the stage wearing masks (the members of the Nuo altar team take turns wearing masks and chanting one by one); the master of the altar invites gods from all walks of life and ancestors of all generations to descend on the Nuo hall to assist in completing this ritual; the kitchen god is asked to submit a written petition stating the reason for this ritual to the heaven; bridges are built and roads are paved, and barracks are constructed to welcome the divine soldiers. At the fifth altar, the Tang grandmother is invited to open the three caves of Taoyuan, and invite out the Nuo gods such as the land god, the monk, the mountain-opening god, the spiritual officer, Qin Tong, Bingling, and the Queen Mother of Duguan. The master of the altar will wear the masks representing these gods one by one into the Nuo hall, and then perform mask plays with the theme of exorcising ghosts and epidemics for the host family during the ceremony; for example, Bingling receives sacrifices for the gods; the spiritual officer clears out all the evil gods and ghosts in the house. At the sixth altar, the five evil soldiers are sent to open the mountain, that is, the leaders of the evil gods and ghosts in the five directions of southeast, northwest, and center are invited out, such as killing people, turning their intestines upside down, flying over eaves and walls, and wandering around the sky and the earth, to break the net of heaven and earth and find the lost soul of the owner. At the seventh altar, straw-made thatched figures are used to replace disasters, diseases, and deaths for the host family, and they are placed on straw-made boats and sent to the outside of the village for burning. At the eighth altar, the master of the altar crosses out the names of all the members of the host family (written before the ceremony) on the "wish book" one by one to complete the vow fulfillment procedure. The ninth altar sends back the gods who were invited, and the "Three Pure Ones Hall" is dismantled. The tenth altar returns. The eleventh altar redeems the soul and passes the test. The twelfth altar goes to Mount Hua to be ordained into Taoism, and Laojun hangs up his plow and returns to the west. The thirteenth altar spreads the good deeds, and returns to the Yao Palace to send the gods off after the ceremony. All parties are settled, and the six gods of the house convert to the Great Dao and become one with the Dao, and the ritual is completed. The entire Nuo ritual is closely linked: Opening the altar and inviting: beating the gong to inform the three realms of heaven, earth and man, inviting the gods from all realms to descend to the Nuo hall, and slaughtering pigs, sheep and chickens. Transmitting the text: reporting the ritual activities to the gods in the form of a written petition, praying for their approval. The Nuo ritual written petitions are divided into "Shu" and "Di". Different written petitions are used for different occasions and purposes, such as "Liqing Shu" in the "Liqing" altar, "Jing Zao Die" in the "Jing Zao" altar, "Liyuan Shu" (also known as "Hui Shu") in the "Hui Shu" altar, and "Gou Yuan Die" in the "Gou Yuan" altar. Offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God: Ask the Kitchen God to report the reason for this ritual to the Jade Emperor, and at the same time pray for the Kitchen God's blessing. Spreading the net: Using singing and dancing to spread the net in the Nuo Hall, catch all the evil spirits and monsters in one net and drive them out of the host's house. Sending soldiers: Placing "divine soldiers" to station in the Nuo Hall to protect the smooth progress of the ritual activities. Building a bridge: Use a long banner of a divine picture to lay out a bridge. Let the gods arrive at the Nuo Hall smoothly to bless the Lord and drive away evil spirits. Opening the cave: Opening the cave is a ritual drama. The Nuotan troupe said that all the masked characters in the Nuotang opera were locked in the upper, middle and lower caves of Taoyuan, and the key to the cave door was held by Grandma Tang. General Jianjiao took the fairy to ask Grandma Tang to open the cave door and invite the drama god (mask) out. Beating Qintong: It means "Qintong Opera", this play is also called "Gansheng rushes to the exam", which is a Nuotan drama (a play combined with the theme of the ceremony). Opening the mountain: This is the main part of the Nuo altar. The mountain god cuts off the five evil spirits for the master. Guan Yu sweeps: This is the main part of the Nuo hall. Guan Yu holds a sword and leads the five soldiers to clear the obstacles in the Nuo hall so that the Nuo hall ritual can be completed smoothly. Cooking: Cooked pork, mutton and chicken are offered to the gods. Withdrawing wishes: Remove the pork, mutton and other offerings, withdraw the good wishes for the master's family, and bless the master with health and longevity. Finding the land: In the Nuo hall, the land is responsible for leading the ghost soldiers and ghost generals to exorcise evil spirits for the master. Gouyuan Xianfeng: The vanguard prays for blessings and auspiciousness for the master, cancels the wishes, and blesses the master with good luck and peace, and the prosperity of the six livestock. Monk inspection: Two masters wear masks and play the role of Jiuzhou Taoist (black face) and Shizhou monk (white face) respectively, performing from outside the door to inside the door, and burn the star master card (the card has the birthday of the master and his wife), to clean the house and eliminate disasters for the master. Li Long inspects the fast: In the play, Li Long wears a straw raincoat upside down, holds a gourd in his hand, and begs with his cousin Liu San and nephew Yang Si. They come to the Nuo Hall to bless, and offer sacrifices to the kitchen stove, wishing the host a good harvest and livestock safety, and taking away the three disasters and eight difficulties for the host, and completing the wish. The judge sits in the hall: In this play, the masked characters (opera gods) who appear on the stage must be taken back to the Taoyuan Cave. Finally, the judge cancels the good wishes for the wisher. Sha Hua, Ding Ao: stepping barefoot on the red-hot plowshare, then holding the plowshare in the mouth. Ding Ao is to hold the red-hot iron tripod on the head. The purpose of performing these unique skills is to show the magician's power to exorcise evil spirits and epidemics. Pi Tui: Everyone lifts a large stone mill to press on the body of the magician, then puts corn kernels in it and pushes the stone mill. The pressured magician keeps blowing the cow horn. Climbing the knife ladder: On the morning of the day before, the masters performed a ceremony in the central hall, while the villagers who helped sawed a tree cut from the mountain into notches at equal distances in the yard and installed the knives in the notches. There were a total of 24 knives. The master carried the child on his back with a cloth belt and climbed the knife ladder while chanting incantations. Opening the Red Mountain: The master stabbed a small knife into the top of the head. When the knife reached a certain depth, he let go, and the knife stood straight on the top of the head. The master offered "Red Mountain Wine" to everyone. Touring Nuo: After the worship ceremony, the Nuo father and mother were saddled and horses were prepared, and they were sent back to Huashan. Overturning the altar: The master used the ancestor stick to destroy the Sanqing Hall, the Marshal Hall, and the Lingguan Hall, and dragged them out of the gate and burned them. An incense: After the ritual was completed, the master would settle the shrine in the host's home to comfort the ancestors, and hope that the ancestral spirits would be stable, guard the house, bless the whole family with peace and prosperity, and everything would go well.