When we arrived at the venue, it was as crowded as attending a temple fair during the Chinese New Year.

Thelma asked:

"Are we late?"

Todd volunteered and asked the people next to him, and the answer he got was that they were a little late, and the Xianglong Tour activity before the next show had already finished.

Only some smoke from fireworks and incense fragments were left on the scene. People were holding various special snacks and snacks bought at the ghost market stalls, with excitement on their faces. Obviously, the Xianglong Tour just now was very exciting.

.

Thinking about it, the extraordinary side of Xianglong must be more powerful than the folk one. After all, this is a serious exorcism ritual, not an ordinary folklore activity.

As a result, several people had a somewhat disappointed look on their faces.

As extraordinary beings, everyone can feel a unique smell of fireworks permeating the surrounding air. This smell is somewhat similar to the smell of incense in temples, but it is somewhat different. The smell of temple incense always has a

A feeling of clutter or even decay.

Xie Zihao understood that it was not only due to the high price and poor quality of the incense in the temple, but also to the impure thoughts of the people who went to worship the Buddha.

This is a normal situation in today's materialistic society.

But the smoke from the fireworks here today gives people a different feeling. It is clear and pure, representing the ancient human pursuit of a beautiful vision of a stable and prosperous life. It gives people a positive emotional blessing. After taking a sip, the whole person is not only

You won't be choked and cough, but you will feel refreshed and have some depression and negative emotions in your heart.

"As expected of Hongmen, I'm afraid there won't be many methods passed down like Dongguo's!"

Xie Zihao sighed to the people around him. Of course, what he didn't say was that the situation in Dongguo was different and had another set of positive things. After all, he had experienced the power of the so-called red current of humanity in his previous life.

Xie Zihao also noticed that there were already some young people in the ghost market holding paper puppets of different shapes, holding or standing on their shoulders, or following behind them, all of them looking bright and triumphant.

The children with paper dolls became the most handsome ones in the ghost market today, winning waves of envious looks. They were also surrounded by a large group of teenagers and children.

Sure enough, once Xie Zihao's two-dimensional doll strategy was launched, it was greatly welcomed by the second and third generation boys and girls of Hongmen, and it was quickly divided up. For a while, those children were very worried about Xie Zihao, the elder of the guest who had never spoken before.

The attitude in my heart is closer than that of ordinary elders in the family.

"Thank you, elder..."

Seeing the arrival of Xie Zihao and his party, Hongmen was notified and immediately arranged for two people to lead them to the best stand.

Fortunately, they didn't arrive too late. The real drama tonight hasn't started yet!

By the time snacks, fruits, tea and drinks were served at Hongmen, drums were already beating in the Ghost Market Square below.

A monotonous but rhythmic drum is used to arouse the audience's emotions and remind everyone that a good show is about to take place.

Amidst the sound of drums, a beautifully dressed team came out from the door. They were all strong men, wearing various armors or costumes and other props, and their faces were painted with oil paint or wearing masks.

, some are ferocious and ferocious, and some are sacred and majestic.

"This is a Nuo opera!"

The so-called Nuo opera, also known as exorcism, is a folk ritual in which humans act as ghosts and gods to drive away diseases and suppress evil spirits.

There are also differences in Nuo operas in various regions of China. The mainstream is to perform the ritual of Fang Xiangshi to ward off epidemics, which is called Da Nuo. It started in the Shang Dynasty and became one of the military rituals in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, there were Da Nuo and Xiao Nuo.

, the former is mainly popular in the palace, and the latter is mostly among the people.

According to people in the Song Dynasty, Da Nuo means to "destroy the yin energy to guide the yang. Nowadays, people beat drums on the day before their twelfth year to drive away epidemics, which is called driving away".

Nuo opera has been one of the oldest exorcism rituals in China since ancient times. It has existed since the time of ancient witchcraft. There are similar folk activities from the northeast and grasslands in the north to the coasts of Guangdong and Guangxi in the south. They have even spread to the East.

It became a Shinto ritual there.

In China, the folk culture related to Nuo opera is relatively famous. What Xie Zihao knows is the Chaoshan Ying song and dance related to the famous anti-Japanese generals.

In Fujian and Taiwan, religious activities such as the first patrol of officials and generals are all rituals similar to Nuo opera.

The Nuo opera in Hongmen is obviously based on Chaoshan Ying singing and dancing, and incorporates the essence of ancient Nuo opera from other regions. As soon as these men playing ghosts and gods appeared on the stage, most people in the crowd felt the majesty.

Holy breath.

Considering that more than half of the overseas Tang people and Chaoshan immigrants immigrated to North America at that time, it is not surprising that these local folk cultures have been preserved.

Moreover, all the brothers in Hongmen are from folk dharma or Jianghu sects, and what they are best at is this kind of waterway dojo where all kinds of sects gather together.

Although it may look like a hodgepodge of methods, it is indeed wonderful and easy to use.

There are quite a few Nuo opera masters in this team. The leader is two meters tall. He is naked and wearing a huge brown bear skin. He has a mask with four golden eyes on his face. He is wearing black clothes and red clothes. He is holding a gun and a shield. Xie Zihao

I also recognized this image. It was the subordinate of Sima stipulated in Zhou Rites. The highest official rank was Xia Dafu, Fang Xiangshi who was responsible for the country's epidemic prevention.

The second man after Fang Xiangshi is only an inch shorter than Fang Xiangshi. He wears an official hat, red official robe and soap boots. He holds a bat in one hand and a sword in the other. He has a ferocious look on his face.

A leopard has a strange-looking mask with ringed eyes, an iron face, and a big mouth.

No need to ask, anyone who is familiar with Chinese culture can recognize at a glance that this is the Taoist deity widely circulated among the people, the judge Zhong Kui, who is known as the ghost-catching master and the ghost-catching general.

From the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, to the Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties until the Sui Dynasty, the protagonist of Nuo rituals has always been Fang Xiangshi. In the Tang and Song dynasties, this tradition was still continued in the court Nuo rituals.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! But beginning in the Dunhuang area during the Five Dynasties, Zhong Kui gradually began to play the leading role in folk Nuo dramas. Later, in Zhouzhi, Shaanxi, the legendary hometown of Zhong Kui, he also

In Jianghuai, Minnan, Wanwan and other places, Zhongkui belief is the most popular, and he is also the protagonist in many Nuo operas.

After Fang Xiangshi and Zhong Kui, there are two pairs of door gods Wang Lingguan, Ma Wang Ye, Lei Gong, Guan Gong, Tiangong General, Di Gong General, Ren Gong General, Shen Tu, Yu Lei and Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong and other Nuo masters.

folk fairy figures.

The Hongmen Nuo opera is not sung, but at certain times, the Nuo master will represent the gods and give angry or majestic shouts.

A group of men waved their arms or weapons, stepped on the rhythm of the drums, and moved their thighs in a heroic and sacred and strange dance movement, neatly exiting the ghost market gate and starting to march along the left road in formation.

The dynamic drum beats and soul-stirring movements shocked the onlookers.

"Oh shit!"

Some foreigners who were qualified to participate in this event exclaimed in surprise when they saw such a shocking appearance.

Melinda and Todd next to Xie Zihao were also very shocked. Not to mention them, Liang Ruian, who had seen it more than once, was also shocked every time.

Especially Melinda, as a shaman, was very curious about this kind of ritual that was similar to her profession, and what she saw was different from ordinary extraordinary people.

The movements and behaviors of the men in different costumes are extremely powerful and beautiful, and they have an inviolable majesty.

“Are they playing gods?”

Being able to shock Melinda, Xie Zihao understood that this Nuo opera had a charm, so he explained:
Chapter completed!