Every year, on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, just after the Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese festival, the Lantern Festival, is ushered in.
The first month of the lunar calendar is the first month of the year, and the ancient people called the night "night", so the first month of the fifteenth for the Lantern Festival. The 15th day of the first month is the first full moon of the year, but also the beginning of the year, the night of the earth back to spring, people celebrate this, but also to celebrate the continuation of the New Year. The Lantern Festival is also known as the "Festival of the New Year".
According to Chinese folk tradition, on this day the moon is high in the night, people have to point up ten thousand colored lanterns, to show the celebration. Go out and enjoy the moon, light up the lanterns and set off the fireworks, guess the lantern riddles, *** eat the Lantern Festival, family reunions, celebrating the festival together, and have a good time.
The Lantern Festival is also known as the Festival of Lights, Lantern Lantern custom from the Han Dynasty, to the Tang Dynasty, more prosperous activities to enjoy the lights, the palace, hanging lights everywhere on the street, but also to establish a tall lamp wheel, lamp building and lamp tree, the Tang Dynasty poet Lu Zhaolian was in the "fifteenth night to watch the lights" in this way to describe the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival, "the Han suspected that the stars fall, according to the building seems to be hanging moon.
The Song Dynasty attached more importance to the Lantern Festival, more lively lantern-appreciation activities, lantern-appreciation activities to be carried out for five days, the style of the lamp is also more abundant. Ming Dynasty to 10 days of continuous lantern viewing, which is China's longest lantern festival. Although the Qing Dynasty lantern-viewing activities only 3 days, but the lantern-viewing activities on a large scale, unprecedented, in addition to burning lights, but also fireworks to help.
"Guess the lantern riddles", also called "playing lantern riddles", is an activity added after the Lantern Festival, appeared in the Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital city of Lin'an made riddles every Lantern Festival, and there were a lot of people guessing riddles. At the beginning of the riddles were written on strips of paper and pasted on colorful lanterns for people to guess. Because the riddles can inspire wisdom and interest, so the process of circulation is popular among all social classes.
The folk custom of eating Lantern Festival. Lanterns are made of glutinous rice, either solid or with filling. The fillings include bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, and various kinds of fruits, etc. They can be boiled, fried, steamed, or deep-fried when eaten. At first, people called this food "floating rounds", and later called "soup dumplings" or "dumplings", these names "reunion
Some places of the Lantern Festival and the custom of "walking a hundred diseases", also known as "baked hundred diseases" "scattered hundred diseases", the participants are mostly women, they walk in pairs or walk along the wall, or across the bridge, walking in the countryside, or in the countryside, or across the bridge, walking in the countryside, or across the bridge, walking in the countryside, or in the countryside, or in the countryside, or in the countryside. or cross the bridge and walk in the countryside, the purpose is to drive away diseases and disasters.
With the passage of time, more and more activities of the Lantern Festival, many local festivals have increased the number of dragon lanterns, lions, stilt walkers, rowing the dry boat and twisted rice-planting songs, playing the drums and other traditional folklore performances. The festival, which has been passed down for more than 2,000 years, is not only prevalent across the Taiwan Strait, but is also celebrated year after year in overseas Chinese settlements.
The origin of the Lantern Festival and the legend
The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, as early as 2000 years ago in the Western Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival began in the Eastern Han Dynasty Mingdi period, the Mingdi advocated Buddhism, heard that the Buddhist monks on the 15th day of the first month of the Buddha's relics, lighted lamps in honor of the Buddha's practice, the night of the day on the order in the Imperial Palace and temples lighted lamps in honor of the Buddha, so that the scholarly people have hung lamps. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. The festival has gone through a process of development from the palace to the folk, from the Central Plains to the whole country.
In the time of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty, the 15th day of the first lunar month was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the festival of "Taiyi God" was held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. (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 Taoist "Three Elements"; the 15th day of the first month 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 festival to light.
The 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 lights, 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 added a dragon dance, lion dance, running boats, stilt walkers, twisting rice-planting songs and other "hundred theater" content, just shortened the festival period of four to five days.
On the origin of the Lantern Festival, there are several interesting folklore:
Legend of the lamp
Legend of a long time ago, there are a lot of fierce birds and beasts, all around the harm to people and livestock, the people will organize to fight them, there is a bird of God trapped in a lost and landed on the earth, but accidentally was unknowingly hunters to shoot dead. When the emperor knew it, he was very angry, and immediately sent a decree, ordering the heavenly soldiers to come to the earth on the 15th day of the first month to set fire to the human and animal properties on the earth to be burnt to death. 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 didn't know what to do. After a long time, an old man came up with an idea, saying, "On the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth day of the first month, every family will put up lanterns, light firecrackers, and set off fireworks at home. In this way, the Heavenly Emperor will think that people have been burnt to death".
All of them nodded their heads in agreement and went their separate ways to get ready. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, the Heavenly Emperor looked down and found the earth red and loud, for three nights in a row, and thought it was the flames of a great burning fire, and was greatly quickened in it. The people thus preserved their lives and their property. In honor of this success, from then on, every first month of the fifteenth, every family hangs lanterns, fireworks to commemorate this day.
Another legend has it that the Lantern Festival was set up by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to commemorate the "Pinglue"
Another legend has it that the Lantern Festival was set up by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to commemorate the "Pinglue". 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 illness and death of Empress Lu, all of them were afraid of being harmed and ostracized. So, they secretly gathered at the home of General Lu Lu and ****planned for a rebellion in order to completely seize the Liu's kingdom.
This matter spread to Liu's royal family, King of Qi, Liu Sang's ears, Liu Sang in order to protect Liu's kingdom, decided to start a military crusade against all the Lü and then with the founding of the veteran Zhou Bo, Chen Ping contact, designed to lift the Lü Lü, "all the Lü of the chaos," and finally was completely pacified.
After the rebellion was quelled, Liu Heng, the second son of Liu Bang, was crowned Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, and the Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the second son of Liu Bang, was given the title of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Emperor Wen set the 15th day of the first month of the year when the "Lü's Rebellion" was quelled as a day of happiness with the people, and every house in the capital was decorated with lanterns and colors to celebrate. Since then, the 15th day of the first month has become a folk festival celebrated by all the people - the "Lantern Festival".
Dongfang Shuo and the Lantern 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, when it snowed heavily for several days, Dongfang Shuo went to the imperial garden to fold 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, it is 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. When Dongfang Shuo heard her story, he sympathized with her and 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 for his fortune. Unexpectedly, every person's 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 the Imperial Palace, fifteen days of fire, the flame red night", he was shocked, and hastened to invite the resourceful Oriental Shuo. Dongfang Shuo pretended to think for a while, then said: "I heard that the fire god king's favorite food dumplings, the palace 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 and honor the Fire Goddess. 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". When the Jade Emperor heard this, he was very happy, so he sent a decree to do as Dongfang Shuo's method.
To the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chang'an city of lights, colorful, tourists come and go, very lively. The parents of the courtesan Yuan Xiao also took their sister into the city to watch the lanterns. When they saw the words written "Lantern" large palace lanterns, surprise shouted: "Lantern! When they saw the big lantern with the word "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao!
After such a lively night, the city of Chang'an was indeed safe and sound. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very happy, then ordered every first month of the future to make dumplings for the fire god king, the first month of the fifteenth as usual, the whole city hanging lights and fireworks. Because of the Yuanxiao made the best dumplings, people called the dumplings Yuanxiao, this day is called the Lantern Festival.
Customs of the Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, so all over the country, most of the customs of the region is more or less the same, but each place still has its own characteristics.
Eating Lantern Festival
The 15th day of the first month to eat Lantern Festival, "Lantern Festival" as a food, has a long history in China. Song Dynasty, the folk that is popular a Lantern Festival to eat the novelty of food. This kind of food, the earliest called "floating yuanzi" later called "Lantern", businessmen also beautifully called "Yuanbao". Lantern that is "dumplings" to sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnuts, nuts, jujube paste, etc. for the filling, wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape, can be meat or vegetarian, with a variety of flavors. It can be boiled in soup, deep-fried or steamed, and has the meaning of reunion. Shaanxi dumplings are not packaged, but in the glutinous rice flour "roll" into, or cook Division or deep-fried, hot fire, reunion.