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Flowing Folk Customs Turn into a Tenacious Root System

After a ten-day exploration, members of the Anhui Shexian County Team concluded that “fish swim a thousand miles but lanterns frolic by hands of man.” A folk activity is more than a fleeting spectacle, but a meticulously organized system encompassing lantern festival organizers, craftsmen, apprentices, village representatives, and bridge-based fish-fighting rituals. Currently, the fish lantern culture’s outreach relies heavily on village promotion. The fish, symbolizing the fish god that wards off fires and ensures prosperity, represents a vision of many offspring and prosperity, aspirations for a better life deeply rooted in human nature. These foundational motives have sustained this tradition for centuries. Many elderly villagers recall the activity’s existence since their birth, serving as a pillar of Wangmantian Village, steadfast amidst the river of time.

The enduring folk customs have taken root, deeply intertwined with the earth and time. The team members, moved and astonished by the spiritual essence behind these customs, gained a personal understanding of the “spirit of fish lanterns.” During the Lantern Festival, with villagers’ recognition and assistance, they participated in the four-day celebration, carrying the fish lantern and crafting their own under the guidance of an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, Miao Yize, who taught them bamboo weaving for a week.

Team Members Participate in Fish Lantern Making

Team members hold up a fish lantern, completing all the rituals of the four days

“Disputes arise somehow during fish lantern making, but once the fish lantern is lifted, village conflicts over the year dissolve altogether.” This is a common saying in Wangmantian Village, often echoed by Chen Xianjie when narrating the fish lantern activity. Folk rituals foster camaraderie, bridging gaps through shared origin and deeper contextual understanding.