Chapter 562 [Lantern Festival and New Life]

February 28th in the Western calendar is the Lantern Festival.

It is expected that the cold spring can not stop people's enthusiasm for watching the lanterns. Whether it is the old city or the foreign concession, there are huge crowds of people that night. There are crowds of people everywhere in the streets and alleys, and there are various food stalls along the way. The lamp market has both traditional candle lamps and modern glass lamps.

Young students, white-collar workers, local tyrants, ordinary people... all went out of their homes and came to the streets, and there were even many foreigners who went to do as the Romans did. Of course, thieves and gangsters are also indispensable. Taking advantage of the lively festivals, cases of pickpocketing and trafficking emerge in endlessly.

Xiao Lingjun rode on his father's neck, pointed to the distance and shouted excitedly: "Dad, Dad, look at the lights over there will move!"

"That's a revolving lantern." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.

Xiao Lingjun looked curious: "Why is it called a revolving lantern?"

Zhou Hexuan explained: "Because this kind of lamp has a horse painted on each side, it turns like a horse running, so it is called a revolving lantern."

Xiao Lingjun said again: "But the one I saw didn't have a horse. It was painted with Monkey King, so it should be called Monkey King Lantern."

Zhou Hexuan was sweating profusely, and didn't bother to explain anymore: "You can also call it Monkey King Lantern."

The three girls, Meng Xiaodong, Wanrong, and Liao Yaquan walked together, each holding a lantern in their hand, chatting about something. Sisters Cui Huifu and Cui Huimei, together with Fei Zhengqing and Fei Weimei, helped the two foreign devils learn about the Lantern Festival in English.

As for Vivien Leigh, her lower abdomen is slightly swollen at this time, so she can stay at home and raise her baby with peace of mind.

Zhang Leyi hugged her son, Wei Lie, and told a myth about the Lantern Festival while walking: "A long time ago, ferocious beasts harmed people everywhere, so people organized to resist. One day, a divine bird lost its way and was shot to death by an unsuspecting hunter. Yes. The Emperor of Heaven was very angry when he found out, and ordered the Heavenly Soldiers to set fire to the world on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He wanted to burn people and livestock to death. The daughter of the Emperor of Heaven was kind-hearted and could not bear to see the suffering of the people, so she risked her life to secretly tell the news. People. When people heard this story, they came up with a way to decorate every household with lanterns, firecrackers, and fireworks during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth days of the first lunar month. In this way, the Emperor of Heaven would would have thought people were being burned."

"Oh," Xiao Wei Lie did not ask the bottom line like his sister, but commented, "The Emperor of Heaven is really stupid."

The crowd quickly gathered together to guess lantern riddles, and the stall owner greeted enthusiastically: "Guess the lantern riddles, one dime for one guess, and a prize if you guess right, would you like to try it, gentlemen and wives?"

Zhou Hexuan took out a piece of ocean and said with a smile, "Everyone, try it."

Zhang Leyi walked to a lantern, only to see the writing on the lantern: by the lakeside and the fence, there is a family in front of the flowers. Guess a plant.

She thought about it for a long time, and said to the stall owner, "Is it a willow tree?"

The stall owner said with a smile: "Madam guessed a bit inaccurately, do you want to try again?"

Zhang Leyi turned her head and asked Zhou Hexuan: "Brother Xuan, can you guess it?"

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said, "Gourd."

The stall owner immediately opened the note under the lamp, and sure enough, the answer was "gourd". He handed Xiaowei Lie a piece of candied haws, and complimented him: "This gentleman is very knowledgeable, and he guessed it right. You gave 1 yuan just now. Eight more guesses."

"I want it too, I want candied haws too!" Xiao Lingjun shook his father's forehead.

Zhou Hexuan walked to the lamp next to it, and saw that it read: Chongyang is near, and the autumn waves are threatening, married in another country, now returning to Ning. Guess a vegetable.

Zhou Hexuan was a little uncertain, thought for a while and said, "Carrot?"

The stall owner gave a thumbs up: "Sir, you are amazing, you can guess all of these! This puzzle is very difficult, and the prize is two piles of sugar."

Xiao Lingjun took the two candied haws and immediately clapped his hands happily: "Daddy is amazing, dad is amazing!"

While everyone was enjoying guessing lantern riddles, Fairbank asked, "Mr. Zhou, why is the Chinese Lantern Festival more lively than the Spring Festival?"

Zhou Hexuan smiled wryly: "Maybe the government forbids celebrating the Spring Festival."

The Lantern Festival during the Nanjing Nationalist Government was indeed surprisingly lively, and the atmosphere far surpassed that of the Spring Festival. The main reason is that the government prohibits celebrating the Spring Festival, so people have to celebrate the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival together.

As a result, the annual Lantern Festival has become a carnival for ordinary people, which often leads to all kinds of chaos. People can only walk when they go out at night during the Lantern Festival, because it is so crowded that even rickshaws cannot pass.

How crazy is the Lantern Festival in the Republic of China?

There are words to prove it: Gentlemen are forbidden to play dragon lanterns, and ordinary rotten cubs will save you busy. I remember last year in Fanxi Street, Wang Bayi (harmony) all went crazy!

This is "Zhu Zhi Ci" written by a good-natured person in Hunan, "Gentlemen are forbidden to play with dragon lanterns". "Clam shell spirits" are often dressed up as prostitutes. Because of their provocative performances, they have been severely condemned by righteous people, and the government has resolutely banned them, but they continue to be banned every year.

Speaking of the Lantern Festival in the Republic of China, the most nonsense is undoubtedly 1912.

At that time, the Republic of China had just been established, and the government announced the abolition of the lunar calendar and the adoption of the Western calendar, and even set January 15th of the Western calendar as the Lantern Festival. The government publicized this widely and called on everyone to come out and celebrate the Lantern Festival together. As a result, it was pitch black and freezing cold, and there were not even a few ghosts on the street.

why?

Because January 15th in the Western calendar is more than a month away from the Spring Festival, and it is the end of the lunar calendar, the moon cannot be seen in the sky at all.

"Boom boom boom boom!"

There was the sound of gongs and drums in the distance, but it was the team of dragon lantern dancers coming, and many people carrying lanterns ran after them, and the whole street was boiling.

"boom!"

Groups of light spots exploded in the sky, but some wealthy businessman was setting off fireworks, and the children looked up at the sky and screamed happily.

Looking at the lively atmosphere around him, Zhou Hexuan couldn't help but think of the July 7th Incident three years later. The bustling city of Tianjin is about to fall under the iron hooves of the Japanese invaders, and there is no such a scene of universal celebration.

Zhou Hexuan took his wife and children to watch the dragon lantern dance performance, and then went to the Haihe River to release the lanterns. They didn't go home until the wee hours of the morning.

The next afternoon, Zhou Hexuan took Fairbank to Tianjin Library.

The car drove into the old city, and soon saw a huge policy propaganda poster on the wall of a house. A huge louse is drawn on the poster, and a human hand holds a dagger and inserts it into the louse's abdomen, with flies, mosquitoes and other pests painted beside it.

There is also a text on the poster, with the words "cull the epidemic and its messengers" on the top, and "response to Chairman Jiang's call, launch a new life movement for the whole people, pay attention to hygiene, clean frequently, and be healthy" on the side.

Immediately afterwards, officials from the Tianjin Municipal Government and the Municipal Party Committee appeared on the street in suits and leather shoes, each with a broom in his hand.

Shang Zhen, a former general of the Jinsui Army, an old subordinate of Yan Xishan, and the current mayor of Tianjin, said while sweeping the street: "Everyone listen, whether you are an official or a worker, you must earnestly fulfill Chairman Jiang's instructions. New Life Movement. What is a new life, the first thing is to love cleanliness. Today I will lead my brothers to do it. In the future, you will have to do it yourself. You must clean the inside and outside..."

Dozens of officials in suits swept the street together. The scene was so beautiful that Zhou Hexuan couldn't bear to watch it.