西峽縣丁河鎮位于豫西，全鎮3.5萬人，面積近400平方公里。312國道、寧西鐵路和正在興建的武威高速公路穿境而過，西扼陜甘，南達宛襄，處于中西部交合點的橋頭堡位置，交通和區位優勢十分明顯。西峽具有濃郁地方特色的民間藝術--高臺就主要活動在距縣城18公里的丁河鎮。
     
    丁河的高臺歷史悠久，源遠流長。丁河高臺始于明初，盛于清朝，到了民國時期就作為一種具有濃郁地方特色的民俗文化保存下來。相傳很久以前丁河風調雨順、五谷豐登，老百姓不珍惜糧食，于是天帝就派天神哪吒帶領火德星君等人，火燒丁河店，以示懲罰。因丁河是哪吒故里，不忍百姓受難，就暗示當地群眾放煙火，形似著火的樣子，逃過一劫。百姓為了感謝哪吒，于每年的農歷正月23放煙火、演高抬，一直延續至今。      
                                                      
    高臺藝術是集戲劇、故事、雕塑、繪畫、鐵木工藝、裝飾工藝為一身的“空中舞臺”。每年春節前半個月高臺藝人就開始著手準備制高臺。首先確定主題，然后立意、構思最后做造型。高臺的題材都是大眾喜聞樂見的“哪吒鬧海”、“唐僧取經”等劇目。高臺的骨架由桌架、鐵桿、坐叉三部分組成。裝高臺時用木、草、泥、繩、布等材料，經裱、扎、畫、塑加以粉飾，要栩栩如生而又不露痕跡。裝高臺的一般都是四五歲膽子大的孩子。迎高臺時，前有彩旗、鑼鼓，后有秧歌隊，前呼后擁，十分壯觀。     

    目前高臺已經很少活動了，這是由于由于高臺制作難度大，涉及人數多，一般一桌需要至少 20人，一次最少4 桌，演出活動共需 100人左右，一次經費投入較大，鑒于此種原因，高臺活動已越來越少，并且高臺設計要求高，需要具有一定藝術素養的繼承人，技術難度大，設計、技術的掌握者多為上了年紀的老人。 
 

Dinghe High-plat 
 

    Dinghe town, where Dinghe High-plat is historic, in Xixia County is locater in the west of Henan. Dinghe High-plat (a performance category) origins from the beginning of Ming Dynasty and prevails in Qing Dynasty. It was preserved as a folk culture containing thick local flavor in the Republic of China. 
    
    In the terms of its origin, it's said that long time ago Nezha was ordered to fire Dinghe, while he saved people there instead of burning them. In order to thank him, local people made firework display and played high-plat program in every 23 of the first lunar month and continued this custom till now. 
    
    High-plat art is an overhead stage uniting drama, story, sculpture, painting, iron-wood technology and decoration technology together. Its skeleton is made up of table frame, gavelock and sit fork. Besides, use materials like wood, grass, mud, rope, etc, and experience painted, sculpted and other making processes, put 4 or 5 year-old children on plat and accompany with colorful flags, drum music and yangko dance which make the whole play is so spectacular. 
  
     High-plat includes an important research value for anthropology and folklore. However, nowadays high-plat plays less and less for its difficulty to make and large demand for people.