The traditional culture and legend of Yandun drum

487 views · Organized by 烟雨燕双飞 on 2022-03-29

Every Spring Festival, Menggu becomes a festive event in every village in Yandun Town. The elders in the village instructed the younger generation to take out the drum and clean it, and cover the drum with cut cowhide. Therefore, in the hometown during the Spring Festival, there will be a celebration scene of "The spring is warm and the drums in the village are shaking".

The big drum, as well as the gongs and cymbals used for accompaniment, are sacred objects revered by Yandun people. In the past, the big drum could only be played during the Spring Festival. At other times and occasions, it was absolutely forbidden to play casually, otherwise it would be regarded as a treason and would be severely punished. The rules of drumming, which have been passed down from generation to generation, established by convention, and mysterious, have increased people's curiosity about Yandun drums.

Another peculiarity of the Yandun drum and its custom and culture is that they only exist within the scope of Yandun Town, Lingshan County. Lingshan, which is adjacent to Yandun Town, and several towns in Hengxian County do not have this custom. No one has been able to explain this folk phenomenon, nor has there been any documentation of this regional custom. Because of this, the unique and mighty big drum endows the people in the hometown with masculine and courageous characters and characteristics. When the drum sounds, everyone will be full of energy, regardless of age and age, they will go into battle shirtless, and people will keep changing drums. This is also one of the particularly fascinating places for Yandun drums.

The traditional culture and legend of Yandun drum

The brave and strong Yandun people like "drum competition" and "drum pairing" in the Spring Festival, and the village drums sing harmony. During the Spring Festival, there is a spontaneous drum competition on the streets of the polder. At this time, the market is full of gongs and drums, hammers are flying, and the crowd is full of joy. In the villages, there are "drum battles" from time to time at night. Young people in some villages often ride drums on the hilltops in the middle of the night to "call battles" against drums in neighboring villages. Not to be outdone, the people of the neighboring villages carried out big drums and vigorously "challenged". This is a peaceful "drum battle" to see who can hold on until dawn. The surrounding villages also have drums "roaring" to join the "drum battle". From near to far, the drums rang through the sky at night, forming a strange "Spring Night Drum Concert" in Lixiang. The vigorous drums are often symphony all night long. Yandun "opposite the drum", so the style is different!

The ancient customs will always develop with the progress of the times. Lingshan County attaches great importance to carrying forward the traditional folk custom of "Yantun Big Drum", innovating the old and bringing forth the new, giving it a new connotation of the times. Now, in addition to the traditional Spring Festival celebrations, Yandun drums are also used in large-scale cultural and sports activities and celebrations in Lingshan County: At the opening ceremony of the "Three National Games" in Qinzhou City held in Lingshan County, Yandun drums were used for the first time. The majestic appearance caused a sensation in the audience, left a deep impression on the guests from all over the world, and became a highlight of the opening ceremony. Afterwards, Yandun Big Drum "appeared" on CCTV again, and its heroic appearance was amazing. In the TV series "Cold Autumn", Yandun drum was also "invited" to appear. For a time, the reputation of Yandun drums spread quickly: in the north of China there are Shanxi "prestigious gongs and drums", and in the south there are Guangxi "Yantun drums"! People from the news, culture and tourism circles from all over the country flocked to hear the news, admiringly seeing the grand drumming of Yandun.

Since then, the magical Yandun drum has gone to Bagui and the whole country. In the future, it will go abroad, make a name for itself overseas, and shake the world!

Reference materials and contributors
烟墩大鼓

Involving musical instruments

Yandun drum is a traditional folk art of the Han nationality with a long history. It is unique in Guangxi and even in the whole country.

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