202 1 Lantern Festival is on Friday, February 26th, the 15th day of the first lunar month.
Yuanxiao originally meant "the night of Shangyuan Festival", because the main activities of Shangyuan Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month were to eat glutinous rice balls and enjoy the moon at night, and later the name of this festival evolved into "Lantern Festival". Push the celebration that began on New Year's Eve to another climax. On the night of Lantern Festival, the streets are decorated with lanterns and people appreciate them. Solve riddles on the lanterns and eating Yuanxiao have become the customs of several generations.
Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which existed as early as 2,000 years ago in the Qin Dynasty. According to data and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first month was paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty. On the first night of the first month of the first month, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty offered sacrifices to "Taiyi" (Taiyi: the God who rules everything in the universe) in Ganquan Palace, which was regarded by later generations as the forerunner of offering sacrifices to the gods on the fifteenth day of the first month.
Customs and habits of Lantern Festival
Speaking of Lantern Festival, the common customs are naturally eating glutinous rice balls, enjoying lanterns, solve riddles on the lanterns and dancing dragons and lions. Can be traced back to the source, why are there these customs on the Lantern Festival? In the final analysis, it is inseparable from the traditional farming civilization. As the saying goes, "the great event of a country lies in worshipping Rong", which means that the great event of a country lies in sacrifice and war.
A large-scale festival like the Lantern Festival is naturally dominated by sacrifices and blessings. Ancient farmers believed in ghosts and gods and prayed for good weather. Naturally, they prayed to the Dragon King who was in charge of water, so they had dragon and lion dances to pray for good weather in the coming year. Lantern Festival is called Lantern Festival because the ancients emphasized that many children are blessed, and the word "lamp" is very similar to the word "Ding" of the people, so it is named.
Pinglu Lantern Festival Memorial
According to legend, the Lantern Festival was set up to commemorate Pinglu during the reign of 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. Hui Di was born weak and indecisive, and power gradually fell into the hands of Lv Hou. After Hui Di's death, he monopolized state affairs and turned Liu's world into Lu's. The old courtiers and Liu Zongshi were deeply indignant, but they were afraid of cruelty and dared not speak out.
After Lv Hou's death, Zhu Lu has been in a state of anxiety, afraid of being hurt and excluded. So, in the general's home, they secretly assembled and plotted to make trouble in order to completely seize Liu's country.
This incident reached the ears of Liu Xiang, the king of Qi in the Liu clan. In order to protect Liu's country, Liu Xiang decided to fight against Zhu Lu, and then got in touch with Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, the founding fathers, and the design was dissolved. The "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was finally completely put down.
After the rebellion, the ministers made Liu Heng, the second son of Liu Bang, emperor and called him Emperor Wen. Impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Emperor Wen designated the 15th day of the first month of the first month to quell the "Zhu-Lu Rebellion" as a day to have fun with the people, and every household in Beijing celebrated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Since then, the fifteenth day of the first month has become a popular folk festival-"Lantern Festival".
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities of "Taiyi God" were scheduled for the 15th day of the first month. Taiyi: the God who rules the universe. When Sima Qian created the taichu calendar Law, he had already identified the Lantern Festival as a major festival.
Lantern Festival Commemorates Torch Festival
Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China since ancient times. The appreciation of the Lantern Festival began in ancient times when people held torches in rural fields to drive away insects and wild animals, hoping to reduce pests and pray for a bumper harvest. To this day, people in some areas in southwest China still use reeds or branches as torches on the 15th day of the first month, and hold high in groups to dance in fields or grain drying fields. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been in full swing. Tens of thousands of people took part in singing and dancing, from faint to dark. With the changes of society and times, the custom of Lantern Festival has changed greatly, but it is still a traditional folk festival in China.
The real motivation of Lantern Festival custom is that it is at a new time point, and people make full use of this special time stage to express their wishes for life.