At the end of the Qin dynasty, there was a saying that "the fifteenth day of the first month was lit to worship the Taoist Taiyi God". Originally called "Shangyuan", it is the day when farmers pray for a bumper harvest, and it is also the birthday of Taoist officials. People hold torches in the fields to drive away insects and beasts, hoping to reduce pests and pray for a good harvest.

Statement 2:

According to historical records, it is said that after the death of Liu Ying, Emperor Hui of the Western Han Dynasty, the Lv Hou clan took control of the political power. After Lv Hou's death, zhou bo and Chen Ping rose up to suppress the "Zhulu Rebellion" and acclaimed Liu Heng as the Emperor of Chinese. Wendi learned from all the ministers' suggestions and carefully governed the country, making the Han empire strong again. Because it's just the 15th day of the first month to sweep away the Lvs, on this night every year, Emperor Wendi goes out to play incognito and have fun with the people as a souvenir.

Statement 3:

When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty listened to the fallacy, he built the Taiyi Temple altar in Ganquan Palace, and offered the most grand sacrifice to Taiyi God on the 15th day of the first month. Since dusk, he has been offering sacrifices with grand lights all night, and meteors often pass through the temple altar at night, thus forming the custom of decorating the fifteenth day of the first month.

Statement 4:

Emperor Han Ming believed in Buddhism, listened to Cai Cheng's advice, and ordered that on the fifteenth night of the first month, he would "light lamps to show Buddha" in the palace. Since then, the people have followed suit and all lit lamps to worship Buddha. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival took shape as a festival.

Brief introduction of lantern festival

Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Xiaoyuanyian Festival, Yuanxi Festival or Lantern Festival, is one of the traditional festivals in China, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year. The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar, and the ancients called "night" "night". The fifteenth day of the first month is the first full moon night in a year, so it is called "Lantern Festival". According to the Taoist saying of "Sanyuan", the fifteenth day of the first month is also called "Shangyuan Festival". Since ancient times, the Lantern Festival custom has been dominated by the warm and festive custom of watching lanterns. ?

The formation of Lantern Festival has a long process, which is rooted in the folk custom of turning on lights to pray for blessings. According to general data and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first month has been paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty, but the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month really became a national folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties. The rise of the custom of burning lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month is also related to the spread of Buddhism to the east. In the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism flourished, and officials and ordinary people generally "burned lanterns for the Buddha" on the fifteenth day of the first month, so Buddhist lanterns were spread all over the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has become a legal thing to light lanterns on Lantern Festival.