The custom of the lantern festival
1, eat Yuanxiao
Eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first month, as a food, has a long history in China. In the Song Dynasty, a novel food for the Lantern Festival was popular among the people. This kind of food was first called "Floating Yuanzi" and later called "Yuanxiao", and businessmen also called it "Yuanbao". Yuanxiao, or "Tangyuan", is filled with white sugar, rose, sesame, red bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnut kernel, nuts, jujube paste, etc., and wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape, which can be vegetarian and has different flavors. It can be boiled in soup, fried and steamed, which means a happy reunion.
2. Lantern
Lantern Festival is a traditional festival custom, which started in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the wind of lights prevailed in past dynasties and was passed down to later generations. The fifteenth day of the first month is the climax of the annual lantern fireworks. It means a bright future. Therefore, the Lantern Festival is also called "Lantern Festival". In the streets and lanes, red lights are hung high, including palace lanterns, animal headlights, lantern lanterns, flower lanterns, bird lanterns and so on, attracting people who watch the lanterns.
3. solve riddles on the lanterns
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, traditional folks hang lanterns and set off fireworks. Later, some busybodies wrote riddles on paper and posted them on colorful lanterns for people to guess. Because riddles can enlighten wisdom and cater to the festive atmosphere, so many people responded, and then guessing riddles gradually became an indispensable program of the Lantern Festival. Lantern riddles add to the festive atmosphere, showing the intelligence and wisdom of ancient working people and their yearning for a better life.
4, lion dance
Lion dance is an excellent folk art in China. Every Lantern Festival or assembly celebration, people always come to entertain with lion dance. This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period and became popular in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with a history of more than 1000 years. According to legend, it was first introduced from the Western Regions, and the lion was the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva. With the introduction of Buddhism into China, lion dancing was also imported into China. The lion dance in the Lantern Festival symbolizes good luck, thus pinning the people's good wishes to eliminate disasters and seek Jinafu in the lion dance activities.
5. Row a dry boat
Rowing a dry boat is said to commemorate Dayu's meritorious service in water control. A dry boat is not a real boat. It is made of two thin plates and covered with colored cloth. People sit in the middle like sitting in a boat, then paddle in hand, row and dance while singing. Another man dresses up as a boatman and laughs at the audience with all kinds of funny actions. This is also a popular activity in many areas during the Chinese New Year.
6. Send a child lamp
Referred to as "sending lanterns" for short, it is also called "sending lanterns", that is, before the Lantern Festival, the bride's family sends lanterns to her newly married daughter's home, or ordinary relatives and friends give them to the newly married infertile home in order to add good luck, because "lamp" is homophonic with "Ding". This custom is found in many places. During the eighth to fifteenth day of the first month, lanterns are given, and in the first year, a pair of palace lanterns and a pair of glass lanterns with colored paintings are given, hoping that the daughter will be lucky after marriage and have a baby early. If the daughter is pregnant, in addition to the big palace lantern, one or two pairs of small lanterns should be sent to wish her a safe pregnancy.
Nowadays, with the development of the times, today's Lantern Festival is moving from family to society. No matter how the Lantern Festival, lanterns and fireworks change, the ancient traditional customs that the Lantern Festival continues remain unchanged. These elements of traditional culture are always the feelings that people give up constantly.