The folk custom of welcoming horses on the fourth day of the first lunar month
He Li
In her hometown of Dajing Village, Xihe Town, Dapu, Meizhou, there is a horse welcoming event every year on the fourth day of the first lunar month. This is a unique folk custom in her hometown. On this day, both 80-year-olds and six-year-old children will participate in the activities. People who work and live outside the country will also try their best to come back to participate. It is a rare event in their hometown.
According to reports, "Welcoming Horses" originated during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It was originally commemorated by Ma Fa, a general of the Song Dynasty at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. Later, it gradually evolved into a folk activity to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and to connect with nostalgia. .
According to historical records, General Ma Fa was a native of Haiyang, Chaozhou. In the first year of Deku in the Song Dynasty, he was the general of Defengzhai and stationed troops in the north of Chaozhou City. In the second year of Jingyan of the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1277), Yuan soldiers massacred Zhangzhou and marched towards eastern Guangdong. Yehou, the magistrate of Chaozhou, abandoned his seal and fled, and the crowd supported General Ma Fa to take charge of Chaozhou. In the battle of Baizhangpu, General Ma Fa defeated the Yuan soldiers. The commander-in-chief of the Yuan army sent more troops to attack and sent Ma Ji, the father of Ma Fa, to surrender, but he was rejected.
In the spring of the following year, the Chaoyang bandit Chen Yi led Yuan soldiers to attack Chaozhou City again. Huang Huzi and Chen Yitong were patrolled at the south gate, and they were hidden as internal agents. In the middle of the night, Yuan soldiers broke into the city gate with great noise. Ma Fa commanded the street fighting and retreated to Jinshan Libaozi City. After the Yuan Dynasty soldiers bombarded Zicheng, Ma Fa protected the people and evacuated from Hanjiang River. Thirteen members of the family died heroically.
Afterwards, the Chaozhou people collected the bones of his family and buried them in Jinshan. The tombstone reads, "The tomb of Magong Hezhai in Chuefeng Village of the Song Dynasty." This is the famous Magong Tomb in Jinshan. Later generations planted green pines and ancient banyan trees next to the tomb. The pine leaves are lush and evergreen all year round. It was known as "Maqiu Songcui" and later changed to "Jinshan Ancient Pine", becoming one of the eight most humanistic sceneries in Chaozhou.
In the 13th year of Jiajing reign of Ming Dynasty (1537), Chaozhou people worshiped Ma Fa as the "Holy King of Jinshan" and built "Zhongjie Fang" at the entrance of Jinshan Lane.
In the Yuan Dynasty, there was a salesman in Chaozhou who was said to be an old member of Ma Fa. He asked someone to write ten words of "Jinshan Blessed Lord Tongtian Holy King" on red paper and paste it on the inside of the basket lid. He burned incense and kowtowed twice in the morning and evening. . Everywhere the salesman went from house to house, when people saw the shrine on the red paper, they would take out incense, candles and paper treasures and worship devoutly.
Later, the salesman went up the Han River and arrived at Chayang, the town of Dabu County. When he reached the top of Foziwa Gang, he felt sleepy and went to the pavilion to rest. In the hazy moment, he dreamed of a golden man. God Man A said to him: Since you have held the throne of the Solitary King for many years, I want to choose a place to settle down for a long time. If there is a break in the rope, it will be the place chosen by the Solitary King!
At dusk that day, when the salesman was passing by the Dunwei Village of Dajing, Xihe, the ropes of the basket with the sacred statue suddenly broke. The basket did not move after it fell to the ground. The salesman recalled yesterday's dream. , thinking that the general's entrustment was fulfilled, he invited nine squires with surnames including Rao, Li, Xie, Zhou, He, Lai, Chen, Zhong, and Zhang from Dajing Village to discuss. Strangely enough, when the salesman told them the detailed experience of General Ma Fa one by one, the local people said that someone had dreamed of a general wearing armor passing by here the night before.
After hearing this, the nine surnamed squires became more and more awe-struck for General Ma Fa and invited a famous local Feng Shui master to conduct an investigation. The place where the basket fell was a rare Feng Shui treasure. There are two hills on the left and right sides of the front, which are like the evening drums and morning bells displayed in front of the palace. Several peaks of different sizes and heights running north and south in the front are like various fluttering flags. They face the east exit, like sunflowers facing the sun.
After hearing this, all the nine surnamed squires were very happy and started construction of the "Holy Prince" altar on a certain day. When it was completed, it happened to be the fourth day of the first lunar month. All the villagers held a dedication ceremony. From then on, the harvest in Dajing was plentiful, people and animals were safe, the incense in the altar slowly became more prosperous, and the power of the "Holy Prince" gradually became famous. During the Qianlong period, people designated the fourth day of the first lunar month as the "Horse Welcome" day when the "Sheng Wang Ye" temple was completed.
The "Horse Welcome" activity consists of nine natural villages in Dajing Village taking turns to make "horse heads" and tie a white horse god with white paper and bamboo strips. The tied white horse god must first be placed in the "Saint King" temple. Early in the morning, the horse-welcoming team invited the White Horse God and the Holy King's Shrine from the Holy King's Palace. The horse-welcoming team escorted them all the way to each village for the villagers to worship and pray.
The procession to welcome the horse starts with a gong, followed by a plaque, high lanterns, colorful flags, and more than ten large and small flags embroidered with "horse", followed by the White Horse God.
After that came the venetian parasol, nine lotus lanterns, incense burner, four little guards, a shrine and a suona, etc. The long procession of gongs and drums, employing nearly a hundred people, and even the watching crowd following behind, almost Huali. The team was so long that it was spectacular.
The nine lotus lanterns must be carried by unmarried young men who are about to get married, which means filling Ding (the lantern) with wealth.
The four guards behind the white horse are usually young boys. Wearing red robes, holding swords across their waists, and holding tokens in their hands, they looked very proud.
Picking up horses is carried out in the order of the natural village. There are more than ten locations, mainly the ancestral hall of each family. After receiving the White Horse God, everyone has to worship again, and every household will offer offerings.
Many times, there are dragon and lion dance performances at the same time.
During the entire horse welcoming event, there were loud gongs and drums, roaring firecrackers, and it was very lively.
The entire activity starts in the morning and continues until 6 p.m., and sometimes even the engine lights are turned on to take the team home.
Unlike many places where only men are allowed to participate in worship activities, women here can also participate in horse welcoming activities. Little girls can join the horse-welcoming team and serve as flag bearers, older ones can play gongs, and housewives prepare offerings and participate in worship.
When I was a child, I participated in horse racing many times, and it was the happiest fair event that remains in my childhood and teenage memories. Now An is in Dongguan, and we still go back to our hometown every year on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year to participate in this event.
Nowadays, more and more villagers are leaving their hometowns to develop in cities, and they usually live far apart. But every fourth day of the first lunar month, many people will return to their hometowns to participate in this event. Horse welcoming has become a community activity that condenses nostalgia.
I hope this event can be passed down forever.