Classification of materials used
Use corn flour and buckwheat flour as lamps. Those made of white flour are called "silver lamps", those made of corn flour are called "golden lamps" and those made of wheat flour are called "iron lamps".
Shape classification
Generally, face lamps should be made into bowls, which are called bowl lamps.
The dragon lantern is a coiled dragon, holding a lantern without a month mark. Generally, there are four or five kinds of dragon lanterns, that is, the noodles are twisted into long strips and coiled into the shape of dragons, and scales are symmetrically cut out on the dragons with scissors, and then red paper, coins and grain are used. Being put in the dragon's mouth, it is called Grains Dragon, Money Dragon, Water Dragon, etc. Depending on the content.
Spoon lamp is children's favorite, which is specially designed for children by adults. The practice of spoon lamp is to knead the noodles into the shape of a spoon and pinch a little mouse to lie on the edge of the spoon. The mouse's eyes were changed into pepper granules. In the evening, pour vegetable oil into the spoon, wrap the cotton with a matchstick, and then soak the cotton in the oil and light it.
Exercise:
The practice is to scald the noodles with boiling water first, and the noodles must have hardness, otherwise the lights will collapse. When the surface is ready and the hardness is enough, start making lights. Knead it into various shapes. There are two main shapes: one is to knead into a bowl; The other is to knead it into a thick top and a thin bottom with a bowl in the middle, like an upside-down golden bell. After kneading, put it in a pot and steam it, put soybean oil in the middle, and then insert a wick into it, and the surface lamp will be ready.
The practice of heaven and earth lamps
This lamp should be placed in the middle of the yard. It is for heaven and earth. Take a piece of flour, knead it flat, make it into the shape of a runway on the grassland, then press three depressions on it with a rolling pin, the depth is half as deep as an egg shell, make it into a wick, and add vegetable oil into it.
The first month and the month when each family member was born.
This kind of lamp is easier to make than a sky lamp. Take a piece of egg-sized dough and knead it into a hollow cylinder, which looks a bit like a small straight glass about 5 cm high. Of course, the bottom can't penetrate, and it can't be too thin to avoid being inserted by the lamp grass. After the cup is finished, you should pinch the edges of the cup. The first month's lamp is to pinch a corner on the edge of the cup, and the rest is the month when each family member was born, that is, the month when you were born (according to the lunar calendar).
Practice of dragon lantern
Add dragon forest, dragon horn, dragon beard, longan, nostril and mouth to the dragon lantern. Red paper should be embedded in your mouth, and it will be bright red when it is steamed in the pot. Dragon lanterns are put on grain shops and rice noodle jars, which means praying for them to bless the rice harvest at home.
other
After finishing the surface lamps, adults will also make some lamps with Chinese cabbage roots, radishes, sweet potatoes and other plant roots. These lights are usually sent to earth temples, ancestral graves and intersections. The main difference between lamps on the same surface lies not only in different materials, but also in fuel, usually kerosene. But later, there were gradually small specially processed candles on the market (much shorter than candles used for lighting at home, with the length of 1/4 or 1/5). Some are also made into gold ingots or other things that people think are auspicious. In this way, in order to save trouble, the lamps originally made of plant roots are gradually replaced by these special candles.