油纸灯笼的历史
The History of Oil-paper lantern
在潮汕方言中，“灯”与“丁”发音相近，寓意着人丁兴旺；而“竹”与“德”发音相近，则寓意着德泽绵长。因此，逢年过节，潮汕人家都会高挂红灯笼，祈求来年家中人丁兴旺、喜庆团圆、平安吉祥。这种传统习俗不仅在潮汕地区流传甚广，也深受海外潮汕人的喜爱，成为连接家乡与海外潮汕人情感的纽带。
In the Chaoshan dialect, the pronunciation of "deng" and "ding" is similar, symbolizing a prosperous population; The pronunciation of "bamboo" and "virtue" is similar, which implies that virtue is long-lasting. Therefore, during festivals and holidays, families in Chaoshan will hang red lanterns to pray for a prosperous family, happy reunion, peace, and good fortune in the coming year. This traditional custom is not only widely spread in the Chaoshan region, but also deeply loved by overseas Chaoshan people, becoming a bond that connects the emotions of hometown and overseas Chaoshan people.
油纸灯笼的制作
The production of oil paper lanterns
竹编油纸灯笼制作工艺十分复杂。整个流程包括取材、泡浸、量度、分片、编织、定型、修剪、糊纸、写绘、打油、灯脚、铁线、柴脚、烛座、装瑞、结彩等近二十道工序。所作灯笼种类和形状较为统一，有固定的模具做内托，编织时，先将竹篾先罗一个口，再套到一个模具上编织成灯笼坯。灯笼坯制成后要经浸水过夜，然后压型糊纸，上笔调色，添上吉祥文字及花草图案。之后再在灯笼表面刷一层桐油，使其更加有光泽度，耐受力也更强。待桐油晾干，再装上灯脚，此时一个油纸灯笼的制作才算完成。
The production process of bamboo woven oil paper lanterns is very complex. The entire process includes nearly twenty steps, including material selection, soaking, measurement, slicing, weaving, shaping, trimming, paper pasting, painting, oiling, lamp legs, iron wire, wood legs, candle holder, decoration, and colouring. The types and shapes of lanterns made are relatively uniform, with fixed moulds as inner supports. When weaving, first roll a bamboo strip with a mouth, and then put it on a mould to weave the lantern blank. After the lantern blank is made, it needs to be soaked in water overnight, then pressed and pasted on paper, coloured with a pen, and added with auspicious words and floral patterns. Afterwards, brush a layer of tung oil on the surface of the lantern to make it more shiny and durable. Wait for the tung oil to dry, then install the lamp legs. At this point, the production of an oil paper lantern is considered complete.
油纸灯笼的传承
The inheritance of oil paper lanterns
