Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which began in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Lantern Festival viewing began in the period of Emperor Han Ming in the East. Ming Di advocated Buddhism. He heard that on the 15th day of the first month of the first month, monks observed Buddhist relics and lit lamps to worship Buddha, so that all the gentry and ordinary people hung lamps. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. This festival has experienced the development process from the court to the people and from the Central Plains to the whole country. Legend has it that the Lantern Festival was set up in memory of Pinglu when Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty. After the death of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, Lv Hou's son Liu Ying became Emperor Hui of Han Dynasty. Huidi was born weak and indecisive, and the power gradually fell into the hands of Lv Hou. After the death of Emperor Huidi, Lv Hou monopolized the state affairs and turned Liu's world into Lu's world. The old minister in the DPRK and Liu's imperial clan were deeply indignant, but they were all afraid of Lv Hou's cruelty and dared not speak out. After Lv Hou's death, Zhu Lu was afraid of being hurt and excluded. So, in the home of the general Lv Lu, they secretly assembled and conspired for the insurrection, so as to completely seize Liu Jiangshan. The matter reached the ears of Liu Nang, the king of the Liu clan. Liu Nang decided to attack Zhu Lv in order to protect Liu Jiangshan. Later, he got in touch with zhou bo and Chen Ping, the founding elders, and designed to remove Lv Lu. After the rebellion, all the ministers established Liu Bang's second son, Liu Heng, to reign, calling him Emperor Wen. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Wen Di put an end to the "Zhu Lv Rebellion". Since then, the fifteenth day of the first month has become a popular folk festival-"Lantern Festival". Another theory is that the custom of burning lanterns in Yuanxiao [2] originated from the Taoist "three-yuan theory"; The 15th day of the first month is Shangyuan Festival, the 15th day of July is Zhongyuan Festival, and the 15th day of October is Xiayuan Festival. The officials in charge of the upper, middle and lower three elements are heaven, earth and man respectively, and the heaven official is happy, so the lantern festival should be lit. The festivals and customs activities of the Lantern Festival are extended and expanded with the development of history. As far as the length of the festival is concerned, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the lights were lit from the eighth day of the eighth month until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month, for ten days. Connecting with the Spring Festival, the day is the city, which is very lively, and the lights are lit at night, which is spectacular. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival. By the Qing Dynasty, there were more "hundred plays" such as dragon dancing, lion dancing, roller boating, walking on stilts and dancing yangko, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days.

Dong Fangshuo and Yuanxiao Girl

This legend is related to the custom of eating Yuanxiao: According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favorite named Dong Fangshuo, who was kind and funny. One winter, it snowed heavily for several days, and Dong Fangshuo went to the Imperial Garden to fold plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as I entered the garden gate, I found a maid-in-waiting in tears ready to throw herself into the well. Dong Fangshuo rushed forward to help and asked why she wanted to commit suicide. It turns out that this maid-in-waiting named Yuanxiao has parents and a sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she has never missed the legend of Dong Fangshuo and Yuanxiao girl.

When I meet my family, I miss my family more than usual every year when spring comes. I think it is better to die than to be filial in front of my parents. Dong Fangshuo was deeply sympathetic to what happened to her and assured her that she would try to reunite her with her family. One day, Dong Fangshuo left the palace and set up a divination booth on Chang 'an Avenue. Many people are vying to ask him for divination. Unexpectedly, what everyone wants is the signature of "the sixteenth day of the first month burns us". Suddenly, there was a great panic in Chang 'an. People are asking for solutions to the disaster. Dong Fangshuo said, "On the evening of the fifteenth day of the first month, Vulcan will send a goddess in red to visit the earth. She is the messenger who ordered the burning of Chang 'an. I will give you the transcribed poems, so that today's emperors can do something." Say that finish, then dropped a red post and roared off. The common people picked up the red post and quickly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took it and saw that it said, "Chang 'an is robbing, the imperial palace is being burned by fire, and the fire is burning for fifteen days, and the midnight snack is red." He was so frightened that he quickly invited Dong Fangshuo, who was resourceful. Dong Fangshuo thought for a while, and said, "I heard that Vulcan loves to eat glutinous rice balls. Doesn't Yuanxiao in the palace often make glutinous rice balls for you? Let Yuanxiao make dumplings on 15th night. Long live the incense and offerings, and command every family in Kyoto to make dumplings and worship Vulcan together. Then tell the subjects to hang lights together on the fifteenth night, light firecrackers and set off fireworks all over the city, which seems to be a fire all over the city, so that the jade emperor can be fooled. In addition, inform the people outside the city that they will go to the city to watch the lights on the fifteenth night, and they will eliminate disasters and solve problems in the crowd. " Upon hearing this, Emperor Wudi was very happy, so he ordered him to do it according to Dong Fangshuo's way. On the fifteenth day of the first month, Chang 'an city was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and tourists were bustling and lively. The parents of the maid-in-waiting Yuanxiao also took their sister to the city to watch the lights. When they saw the big palace lantern with the words "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao! Lantern Festival! " When Yuanxiao heard the shouts, she was finally reunited with her relatives at home. After such a busy night, Chang 'an was safe. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed, so he ordered that glutinous rice balls should be made for Vulcan every fifteenth day of the first month, and the whole city would hang lights and set off fireworks on the fifteenth day of the first month. Because Yuanxiao makes the best dumplings, this day is called Lantern Festival.

Yuan Shikai and Yuanxiao

Legend has it that Yuan Shikai, a national thief, usurped the achievements of the Revolution of 1911, was bent on restoring the throne as emperor, but he was afraid of people's opposition, and he was always on tenterhooks. One day, he heard people selling Yuanxiao in the street screaming, "Yuan-Xiao." I think that the word "Yuanxiao" is homophonic with "Yuan Xiao", which is suspected of Yuan Shikai's extinction and associated with my own destiny. So before the Lantern Festival in 19 13, it was forbidden to call it "Yuanxiao", and it could only be called "glutinous rice balls" or "powdered fruit". However, the word "Yuanxiao" was not cancelled because of his will, and the people did not buy his account, so it was still circulated among the people.