Linwu Nuo opera

As a traditional art form, Linwu Nuo Opera follows the characteristics of ancient witchcraft culture. During the activity, the performer wearing a “god lion” mask made of camphor wood displays the scenes and characters in the most primitive form to Taoist music.

All the performers of Linwu Nuo Opera are men. In folk customs, people often use camphor wood to ward off evil spirits. The Nuo Opera performance is accompanied by burning incense sticks and candles as well as offering animals, fruits and wine as a sacrifice. The performers walk around the villages and mountains to pray for a well-off life and good weather.

As one of the most traditional and ancient operas, Nuo Opera has been widely popular in Hunan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and other provinces. Yu Qiuyu, a famous writer, also introduced witchcraft culture in his famous work “Cultural Perplexity in Agonized Travel”.

Linwu Nuo Opera is the same as the other local Nuo Operas in that there are operas and dances in the sacrifice ceremony. They are presented outdoors and have no fixed stages. They all use wooden masks. The difference is that the masks of the other Nuo Opera performers are worn on the face to cover the whole face, while the masks of Linwu Nuo Opera performers are worn on the forehead, and the actor’s eyes and the following parts are exposed.

In addition, most other local Nuo Operas have omitted the procedure of “road sacrifice”, while Linwu Nuo Opera still preserved it and actors performed it solemnly and enthusiastically.