Celebrating the Lunar New Year with You | An Appreciation of the Sequential Art Series “One Hundred Scenes of Ancient Customs” (Part 6)

The Year of the Rabbit, Gui Mao, has arrived! All the staff of the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou City extend their New Year greetings to you. Wishing you a year filled with abundant wealth, boundless good fortune, and great prosperity!

During the Spring Festival, our museum’s official WeChat account will continue to share the illustrated series “One Hundred Scenes of Ancient Customs,” showcasing the rich cultural essence and historical legacy of Chinese folk traditions, and helping you celebrate the New Year with joy!
 

41. Ullambana Dharma Assembly (Yuan Dynasty)

Red and white violets fall, while crimson hibiscus blooms fade.
 

My family grieves the sweltering summer, counting the days until the Ullambana Festival.
 

——Song Dynasty, Yan Shu, “Ullambana”


 

42. Releasing Lanterns on the Lake (Ming Dynasty)

In two months, three mournings—yet the weeping never ceases; geese march in formation, their snowy plumage like a courtly garb.
 

Red lanterns shine across the river, like a thousand lamps; emerald bamboo waves its banners, each staff held high.

—— Ming Dynasty, Wang Yanhong, “On the Occasion of the Ullambana Offering Ceremony”


 

43. Lotus-Leaf Lantern (Qing Dynasty)

Amidst myriad trees, coolness descends and the frosty air grows crisp; on the Mid-Autumn night, the moon ascends, illuminating the nine streets.
 

Children joyfully clutch green lotus leaves, while myriad silver blossoms scatter across the fiery city.

——Qing Dynasty, Pang Kai, “Miscellaneous Verses of Chang’an, Imitating the Style of the Bamboo Branch Songs”


 

44. Celosia for Ancestral Worship (Qing Dynasty)

A votive jar filled with celosia flowers once swept through the capital, captivating all.

Only because the goods are scarce and prices have soared, seedlings are transplanted from the outskirts into the homes of farmers.


 

45. Hunting (Liao)

Startled sands rustle as the wind arrays itself; at the cry of a lone white goose, frost is heralded.
 

—— Jin and Yuan Hao-wen, “Yu Lou Chun: The Wind Whips Up in Swift Gusts, Forming Battle Lines”


 

46. Worshipping the New Moon (Tang Dynasty)

The little girl is only six years old, and it is still unknown whether she is skillful or clumsy.
 

In the courtyard before the hall, the scholar bows to the new moon.
 

——Tang Shijianwu, “Poem of the Young Girl”