The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, as early as 2000 years ago in the Western Han Dynasty, Lantern Festival Lantern Appreciation began in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ming Emperor period, Ming Emperor advocate of Buddhism, heard that the Buddhist monks on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Buddha's relics, lamps honoring the Buddha's practice, the order of the night in the palace and temples lamps honoring the Buddha, so that the scholarly populace have hung lamps. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. The festival has experienced from the court to the folk, from the Central Plains to the national development process. At the time of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the 15th day of the first month was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, the sacrifice of "Taiyi God" was set on the 15th day of the first month. (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", the Lantern Festival was already recognized as a major festival. Another theory is that the custom of burning lanterns at the Lantern Festival originated from the "Three Elements" of Taoism; the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Upper Elements Festival, the 15th day of the seventh month is the Middle Elements Festival, and the 15th day of the tenth month is the Lower Elements Festival. In charge of the upper, middle and lower three yuan respectively for the sky, earth, human three officials, the heavenly officials happy, so the lanterns should be lit on the Lantern Festival. Lantern Festival festival period and festival activities, is with the development of history and extend, expand. In terms of the length of the festival, the Han Dynasty only one day, to the Tang Dynasty has been three days, the Song Dynasty is up to five days, the Ming Dynasty is since the eighth light, until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month of the light, the whole ten days. With the Spring Festival, the daytime for the city, bustling, night lights, spectacular. Especially the delicate, colorful lights, making it the climax of the entertainment activities during the Spring Festival. To the Qing Dynasty, and increased the dragon dance, lion dance, running boats, stilt walkers, twisting rice-planting songs and other "hundred plays" content, just shortened to four to five days. About the origin of the Lantern Festival, there are several interesting folk legends: about the legend of the lamp Legend has it that a long time ago, a lot of ferocious birds and beasts, all around the harm to people and livestock, people will organize to fight them, there is a bird of prey for the lost and landed on earth, but accidentally unknowing hunters to shoot dead. The emperor was furious when he found out about it, and immediately sent a decree ordering the heavenly soldiers to come to earth on the 15th day of the first month to set fire to all human and animal properties on earth. The emperor's daughter is kind-hearted, can't bear to see the people suffer innocently, at the risk of her life, secretly ride the auspicious clouds to the earth, told the news to the people. When the people heard the news, it was as if a thunderbolt had rung over their heads. They were so scared that they did not know what to do. It was only after a long time that an old man came up with an idea, saying, "On the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth days of the first month, every family should set up lanterns, light firecrackers, and set off fireworks in their houses. In this way, the Emperor of Heaven will think that people have been burned to death. Everyone nodded in agreement and went off to make preparations. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the emperor of heaven looked down and found that the earth was filled with red light and the sound of fire was loud, and it was like that for three consecutive nights, so he thought that it was the flame of a big fire, and he was very pleased with it. The people thus preserved their lives and their property. In order to commemorate this success, since then every first month of the fifteenth, every family hangs lanterns, fireworks to commemorate this day. Another legend says that the Lantern Festival was set up by Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty to commemorate the "Ping Lu". After the death of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying, the son of Empress Lu, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Hui was weak and indecisive, and the power gradually fell into the hands of Empress Lu. After the death of Emperor Hui of Han, Empress Lu took over the government and turned Liu's world into Lu's world. The court officials and Liu's clan were y indignant, but they were afraid of Empress Lu's brutality and dared not speak out in anger. After the death of Empress Lu, all the Lu's family members were afraid of being harmed and ostracized. So, in the home of the general Lu Lu secretly gathered, *** plotting rebellion, in order to completely seize Liu's kingdom. This matter reached the ears of Liu Sang, the king of Qi, who decided to start an army to crush Zhu Lu in order to protect Liu's kingdom. Then he contacted with Zhou Bo, the founding minister of the state, and Chen Ping, and designed to disarm Lu Lu, and the "Rebellion of Zhu Lu" was finally pacified completely. After the rebellion, Liu Heng, the second son of Liu Bang, was crowned Emperor Wen of Han. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Emperor Wen designated the 15th day of the first month after the "Rebellion of Zhu Lu" was quelled as a day of happiness with the people, and every house in the capital was decorated with lanterns and colors to celebrate the occasion. Since then, the fifteenth day of the first month has become a folk festival celebrated by all the people - the "Lantern Festival". Dongfang Shuo and the Lantern Festival Girl This legend is related to the custom of eating Lantern Festival: According to legend, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty had a favorite minister named Dongfang Shuo, who was kind and funny. One winter day, it snowed heavily for a few days, so Dongfang Shuo went to the imperial garden to make plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. When he entered the garden, he found a courtesan in tears, ready to throw herself into a well. Dongfang Shuo rushed to her rescue and asked her why she wanted to commit suicide. It turned out that the courtesan's name was Yuan Xiao (元宵), and she had two parents and a younger sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she never had the chance to meet her family. Every year to the end of the spring season, more than usual miss their families. She felt that it would be better for her to die than to be able to fulfill her filial piety in front of her parents. Dongfang Shuo heard her story and sympathized with her, so he promised her that he would try to reunite her with her family. One day, Dongfang Shuo went out of the palace and set up a divination booth on Chang'an Street. Many people were eager to ask him for divination. Unexpectedly, everyone's fortune-telling request was "the 16th day of the first month, the fire burns my body". For a while, Chang'an was in a great panic. People asked for a solution to the disaster. Dongfang Shuo said, "On the evening of the 13th day of the first month, the Fire God will send a red-clothed goddess down to visit the earth, and she is the messenger who has been ordered to burn Chang'an, I will give you the copied verse, so that the present Son of Heaven can think of a solution." After saying this, he threw down a red post and went away. The people picked up the red post and hurriedly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor. Han Wu Di received a look, only to see written on it: "Chang'an in the robbery, the fire burned Que, fifteen days of fire, flame red night", he was shocked, and hastened to invite the resourceful Dongfang Shuo. Dongfang Shuo pretended to think for a moment, then said: "I heard that the fire god gentleman loves to eat dumplings, the palace of the Lantern is not often for you to make dumplings? On the fifteenth night, you can let the Lantern make soup dumplings. Banzai burned incense and made offerings, and ordered every family in Kyoto to make dumplings to honor the Fire God. And then, you will summon your subjects to hang lanterns together on the fifteenth night, and light firecrackers and set off fireworks all over the city, as if the city is on fire, so that you can hide it from the Jade Emperor. In addition, notify the people outside the city, the fifteenth night into the city to watch the lanterns, mixed in the crowd to eliminate disasters and solve the problem". After hearing this, Emperor Wu was very happy, so he sent an order to do according to Dongfang Shuo's method. To the first month of the fifteenth Chang'an city of lights and colors, tourists bustling, very lively. The parents of the courtesan Yuan Xiao also took her sister into the city to see the lanterns. When they saw the words written "Lantern" large palace lamp, surprise shouted: "Lantern! When they saw the big lantern with the word "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao! When they saw the big lantern with the word "Yuanxiao" written on it, they were surprised and shouted, "Yuanxiao!" Yuanxiao was finally reunited with her relatives at home. The city of Chang'an was indeed safe and sound after such a lively night. Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty was very happy, then ordered every first month of the future to do dumplings for the fire god king, the first month of the fifteenth as usual, the whole city hanging lights and fireworks. Because of the best dumplings made by the Lantern, people called the dumplings Lantern, this day is called the Lantern Festival.