On the 16th day of the first month, the Spring Festival has already passed in other places, but we Quanjiao people have a bigger celebration-walking safely. "Taiping" refers to Taiping Bridge.
Taiping Bridge is located on the tributary of Xianghe River in the east of the county seat. There are many stories about Taiping Bridge, the most widely circulated one is to commemorate Ping Liu, the mayor of Quanjiao in Han Dynasty. One year in the Han Dynasty, the court ordered Ping Liu to build a wall in Quanjiao, but there was a famine in Quanjiao that year, and Ping Liu, who loved the people, bought food from the court to help the victims. The imperial court ordered that 40 Li be built, but Ping Liu only built four Li. When the imperial court found out, it sent Ping Liu to Beijing for interrogation. On the 16th day of the first month, people who learned the news came to the county seat from all directions to intercede for Ping Liu. Ping Liu was afraid that the court would punish the people and died when he was escorted to Taiping Bridge. In the second year, on the anniversary of Ping Liu's death, Quanjiao people came to Taiping Bridge, kowtowing and burning incense, whipping and burning paper to pay homage to Ping Liu, and praying for good weather and family safety in the coming year, which became a major folk custom of Quanjiao.
Since then, on the 16th day of the first month, Quanjiao County has been deserted, and the Taiping Bridge and the riverbanks on both sides of the strait are crowded with people, and hundreds of thousands of people walk safely. The bridge is filled with incense and fog, and firecrackers are constantly on both sides. At night, Kongming's lanterns are floating in the air, fireworks are dazzling in the air, and the sky is red, which has become a beautiful scenery in the period of peace and prosperity.
Now, the rebuilt Taiping Bridge is still magnificent. The riverbanks on both sides of the bridge are winding, the river is crystal clear, the wind is blowing, and the flowers and trees are competing for each other. The new Taiping Bridge shows the world that it is not old.
Every Spring Festival, I always look forward to the early arrival of the 16th day of the first month!