秘境湘西最“火”民俗：苗族汉子赤膊上阵，浴火烧龙 | A dance to honor the fire dragon

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Antlers, the teeth of a tiger, the head of an ox, the eyes of a monkey and the tail of a phoenix – these five fantastical elements make up the "fire dragon." 

鹿角、虎牙、牛头，猴眼，凤尾，这五兽组成了一条所向披靡、战无不胜的神龙，这条龙在熊熊钢火下肆意飞舞，刚劲狂野的舞姿令神明也感到敬畏……这条龙就是“火神龙”。

湘西马颈坳是苗族聚居地，民风淳朴彪悍。

This dragon dances wildly in the sparks of a fiery blaze, astonishing even the almighty Gods. Located in Jishou City in central China's Hunan Province, Majing'ao Town is considered the birthplace of this mythical creature. With a history of over 300 years, the fire dragon dance has long been a tradition for the ethnic Miao people.

据传，湘西马颈坳镇是火神龙的发源地，烧龙在此地已有300多年的历史，是湘西苗族的传统祭祀活动之一。

Their ancestors believed the fire dragon to be their holy patron. And on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year, a dragon dance is held to honor the patron and pray for prosperity. 

在苗族人的传统信仰之中，神龙是他们的保护神。每年正月十五，他们都会舞龙敬神，祈求神龙护佑他们年年风调雨顺，五谷丰登。

This year, Yang Changgui will play one of the most important roles in the dance – the dragon's head. Before him, his father played this role. The fire dragon runs in the family as his oldest brother is also a dragon dancer and another brother is a craftsman making the dragon. 

如今，马颈坳的“烧龙头人”是杨昌贵。他的父亲是当地龙灯会的头人，大哥是舞龙者，二哥是扎龙师。随着钢火烧龙技艺代代相传，这个“头人”位置也从父辈那儿传到了他的手中。

During every holiday season, part of the headman's responsibility is to organize the fire dragon dance, especially for the annual celebration of the Lantern Festival.

逢年过节，“头人”负责组织烧龙活动，尤其是庆祝一年一度的“闹元宵”。

When CGTN visited Yang, it was the ninth day of the Chinese New Year. Yang was organizing villagers to help build the dragon. Its frame is made of paper and bamboo canes, and the surface is painted with bright colors. The giant paper dragon is endowed with the powers of those five beasts mentioned above.

正月初八、初九，杨昌贵便开始组织村民扎龙。他们用纸张、竹子扎成龙形，辅以彩绘，做出一条集五兽之大成的威猛纸龙。

The paper-bamboo dragon has to be burned in the "magical fire," which is made up of five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth, in order to show the conquering of the mighty dragon. 

这条纸龙必须用“金、木、水、火、土”五味真火烧毁，方能体现出三百年前对传说中恶龙的降伏。

Gunpowder spark is the metal, bamboo is the wood, Chinese liquor is the water, charcoal is the fire, and of course, soil is the earth. The "magical fire" dates back to ancient Chinese mythology.

钢花是“金”，竹子是“木”，白酒是“水”，木炭是“火”，大地是“土”，五种元素合为“真火”。

At nightfall, it's time for the dragon to rise among the sparks.

夜幕降临，良辰已到。龙来了，火也来了……

The special gunpowder in the bamboo tubes are lit up. The orange sparks rain onto the dragon, making it dance dramatically with the crackling sound in the mist of gunpowder sparks. The heavier the fire rain, the higher the dancer's spirits. Just as people say, "the dragon enjoys the shower of fire, but the dancers enjoy it more."

只见特制的钢火竹筒被接连点燃，橘红色的钢花对着龙身冲泻而出，伴着噼啪作响的钢火声和鞭炮声，一条威猛的神龙在火簇之间翻云腾雾。火花越加激烈，舞龙者的情绪越加高昂。正所谓“龙在火里面玩耍，人也在火里面玩耍”。

钢火烧龙是祈福，也是成人礼。只有在烈火的洗礼下，男孩才会炼成真正的男子汉。

A group of joyous men, brawny and topless with oil rubbed all over the body, dance and roar in the rain of sparks, pushing the celebration to a climax in the burst of cheering.

就这样，精壮彪悍的湘西汉子浑身涂油，冒着滋滋喷射的钢火，于半醉半醒之间勇猛地吼着、舞着，并在一阵阵热烈的欢呼声中，将这场庆祝与狂欢推向高潮……

Yang says, "the dragon dance is for worshiping the Gods. It makes us more confident than ever before."

“龙一舞了，神就敬了。我们觉得心头好像壮实了许多。”杨昌贵说。

Legend has it that the dancing dragon in western Hunan shows people's passion and courage to the heavens, and brings a good harvest in the new year.

正是这条于火海中癫狂舞动的湘西神龙，以滚烫的热情和勇气，撼动了天地，为人们带来了新一年的风调雨顺、五谷丰登。

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过年喽

Cameraman: Fang Zhijun

Film editor: Gu Yue, Wu Qiuping

Story written by: Xiao Qiong

English editor: Xuyen Nguyen 

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