1, eat Yuanxiao
Eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first month is a long-standing custom in China. Yuanxiao is called "Tangyuan" with different ingredients.
At first, the seasonal snack of Lantern Festival was not Yuanxiao. In the Southern Dynasties, it was bean porridge or rice porridge boiled with meat and animal oil. In the Tang Dynasty, it was a kind of silkworm-shaped pasta and scones. It was not until the Song Dynasty that Yuanxiao made of glutinous rice flour and fructose appeared, but at that time it was not called Yuanxiao, but floating dumplings or glutinous rice balls.
Later, because this kind of food was specially eaten during the Lantern Festival, it was called Yuanxiao.
In fact, the difference between glutinous rice balls and Yuanxiao is only the size and stuffing! Southerners use glutinous rice to make longan-sized balls, which are called glutinous rice balls.
Northerners eat bigger jiaozi, and jiaozi with big stuffing is called Yuanxiao, and merchants also call it "Yuanbao", which also symbolizes prosperity. But eating Yuanxiao represents the same meaning, representing reunion and beauty, and the days are getting more and more prosperous.
As the saying goes, harmony is more precious. Family harmony and family reunion are important factors of a complete family. Therefore, we must eat "Yuanxiao" with our families during the Lantern Festival.
2, Shangyuan prayed for blessings
Pray for blessings (worship God). January 15th is the Shangyuan Festival and the birthday of the Emperor of Heaven. According to the folk saying, this day is the public life of the Three Realms, and all families and temples hold grand ceremonies in the early hours of the morning to celebrate it. Sacrificial ceremonies are like celebrating life in heaven on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. You need to read the Three Realms to pray for good luck.
Step 3 send lanterns
Lantern Festival is also called Lantern Festival, and lanterns are homophonic with lanterns. Therefore, greeting lanterns have the meaning of asking children to add more flowers. Spring Festival ballads include: 14 lanterns, 15 lanterns and 16 lanterns, which shows that playing lanterns has become an indispensable activity in the Lantern Festival.
After the Tang Dynasty, lanterns were not only varied and ever-changing, but also became a popular activity. Song Dynasty is the heyday of lanterns, which are shaped like glass balls and also made of five-color wax paper, bodhi leaves, sheepskin and tortoise shells. They are gorgeous and exquisite.
4. Dragon and lion dances
Dragon is an auspicious mythical animal and a totem and symbol of the nation. During the Lantern Festival, there are dragon lanterns all over the country.
The early dragon lanterns were about seven or eight feet long. Yarn is tied to a bamboo tube to make a dragon-shaped lantern. Light dozens of candles inside the faucet and dragon body, and then tie them to a wooden stick. A dozen strong men carried them away. During the performance, the dragon head chased the dragon ball and danced gracefully, commonly known as "making dragons".
5. Solve the riddle on the lantern
Besides lanterns, the most popular activity of Lantern Festival is solve riddles on the lanterns. Lantern riddle is to stick a riddle on a lamp so that people can guess the riddle while enjoying the lamp.
The answer focuses on the meaning of words, such as a word, a poem, an object or a name. Because riddles are difficult to guess, just as tigers are difficult to be shot, they are also called light tigers (also called Hu Wen).
Lantern riddles are China's original folk art. It is composed of cryptic sentences in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it was only called a riddle in the Han and Wei Dynasties (Dong Fangshuo was good at cryptic words in the reign of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, and once said cryptic words with Guo Sheren, who was favored by Emperor Wu, and won the trust of Emperor Wu).
After the Southern Song Dynasty, people wrote riddles on lanterns. On the Lantern Festival, people guess spring riddles. Some people quote the so-called shooting method of riddles, which is called shooting riddles. Since then, every Lantern Festival, solve riddles on the lanterns has been visited all over the country.
6. Stay away from all diseases
Also known as "Wandering All Diseases", "Eliminating All Diseases" and "Walking on the Bridge", it is an activity to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings. On the Lantern Festival night, women meet and go out together. When they see the bridge, they will cross it, thinking that this can cure diseases and prolong life.
7. A mouse.
The rat chasing festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Silkworm farmers cook a big pot of sticky porridge on the fifteenth day of the first month, some cover it with a layer of meat, put the porridge in a bowl, put it on the ceiling, corner and mouth where mice haunt, and curse the mice for eating silkworm babies again. Legend has it that by doing so, this year's mice will not eat silkworm babies.
8, offering doors, offering households
There were "seven sacrifices" in ancient times, which were two of them. The method of sacrifice is to insert poplar branches above the door, insert a pair of chopsticks in a bowl filled with bean porridge, or put wine and meat directly in front of the door.
In addition, there are many other interesting customs, such as listening to incense, drilling lamp feet (there are two sayings of blind date and begging), begging for turtles, begging for flowers, taking photos in the moonlight, taking photos in wells, staying up late, having sex in the Lantern Festival and so on.