What are the customs of Leizhou?

The geographical location of Leizhou Peninsula is very special-the peninsula about 130 kilometers long extends into the South China Sea, and the whole area belongs to the tropical region; Leizhou Peninsula belongs to the border, with mountains in the north and the vast sea in the south. Therefore, Leizhou Peninsula was developed late, and in a long historical period, most areas of the peninsula developed independently. These geographical factors gave birth to the distinctive and unique Leizhou culture of Leizhou Peninsula.

Land without Thunder and Raytheon Worship

Leizhou Peninsula is named after "Lei". From a scientific point of view, Leizhou Peninsula is located on the edge of tropical climate zone, bordering the South China Sea, with humid air and complicated and changeable weather, especially strong convective weather, which leads to frequent thunder and lightning in Leizhou Peninsula-there are more than 200 days of thunder in a year, among which the thunderstorm weather lasts for more than three months, ranking first in China and second in the world (the first is Indonesian). "Lei" has become synonymous with Leizhou Peninsula. People on the peninsula who grew up listening to thunder can best understand what "the potential of thunder" is. It is hard for outsiders to imagine the awe of lightning here. Leizhou Peninsula is branded with the mark of thunder everywhere, and has also formed a unique "Raytheon culture".

Temples dedicated to "Raytheon" were once all over Leizhou Peninsula, and the specifications of sacrifice were second to none among all gods. In Ming Dynasty, Feng Menglong once recorded in "The Records of the Police": "It has never been said that there are four unique things in the world, which are Leizhou Drum Changing, Guangde Burial, Dengzhou Haicheng and Qiantang River Tide." Among them, "changing drums in Leizhou" refers to the annual Raytheon Festival.

"Changing drums in Leizhou" is usually held at the beginning of the lunar calendar. During the ceremony, the people first built an altar outside Leigong Temple, and the ceremony host recited a eulogy in memory of Raytheon on the altar. Under the altar, the people used bronze drums to form a gossip-shaped thunder drum array, with a big bronze drum in the middle, and struck 108 times in unison to imitate the thunder of the sky as a sacrifice to Thor. The drums are loud and clear, orderly in rhythm, vigorous and high-pitched, and can be heard hundreds of miles away. This is only the main part of the drum changing ceremony. In addition, it is supplemented by Nuo dance, dragon dance, bronze drum dance, fire dog dance and frog woman dance to create a warm and extraordinary atmosphere.

Leizhou Peninsula has a long history of Raytheon Festival. From Suixi in the northern part of the peninsula to Leizhou in the central part and Xuwen in the southern part, the sacrificial ceremonies have different styles due to different regions, but most of them keep the steps of going up the knife ladder, crossing the sea of fire and appreciating the gods by the ancient philosophers. In particular, "crossing the sea of fire"-that is, burning a lot of wood and scattering charcoal underground, participants flew over the raging flames, only to see smoke burning and sparks flying, but people were unscathed and the scene was extremely shocking.

Stone Dog: The Ancient Totem of Leizhou Peninsula

In many places in our country, the stone lion has been guarding public places, family ancestral temple and people's homes since ancient times, but when it came to Leizhou Peninsula, the stone lion disappeared and people invited stone dogs.

Why are there so many stone dogs in Leizhou Peninsula? According to scholars' speculation, this is related to the totem worship of the ancestors of the peninsula. The ancestors of Leizhou Peninsula were "Baiyue" people, also known as "Liao Li" people in Sui and Tang Dynasties. Their common custom is to worship "Pan Hu" (an ancient mythical figure incarnated as a golden dog), and think that he is a god who bless clan reproduction and prosperity in all walks of life. Up to now, the Song of Pan Hu, which praises the gods, is still circulating in the rural areas of the peninsula.

In ancient times, our ancestors respected dogs very much and even killed someone's father. As long as they give their mother a dog, they can make amends-"Mother got the dog's thanks, and she no longer hates it." Many stone dog carvings handed down to this day are the best expression of ancient "totem worship in Pan Hu". Totem is sacred and worshipped by people, but now the residents of Leizhou Peninsula are addicted to dog meat, and dogs have already stepped off the altar and become delicious food on people's tables. Why?

Folklorists have given us an answer to this interesting phenomenon: Pan Hu worship has lasted for thousands of years, but now it has gradually declined. Although it will still be influenced by it, it is impossible for future generations to worship it. In particular, there were many immigrants from Leizhou Peninsula in past dynasties. They have no custom of taking dogs as totems. They saw many dogs in Leizhou Peninsula and began to eat them. From the immortal above to the dining table, Leizhou stone dog has also become an interesting cultural phenomenon.

Characteristic Lei Ju in Opera Oasis

Lei Ju is a unique drama that only spreads in Leizhou Peninsula and Leizhou dialect area, with strong and distinctive local characteristics.

Lei Ju Peninsula has a history of more than 400 years. Generally speaking, its development can be divided into four stages-girls' songs, exhortation songs, big class songs (later called Leizhou Opera) and Lei Ju. Daughter songs originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and exhortation songs began in the Qianlong and Jiaqing years of the Qing Dynasty. During the light years of the Qing Dynasty, it gradually evolved into a large-scale song in Leizhou, later renamed Leizhou Opera, and was named Lei Ju in 1964.

Even in modern times, Lei Ju, an ancient form of entertainment, is still developing vigorously. According to incomplete statistics, there are now more than 100 folk professional thunder troupes in Leizhou Peninsula, with an average of more than 5,000 performances each year, with tens of thousands of audiences each time. No wonder some people say that Leizhou Peninsula is an "oasis of drama".