Introduction to the Lantern Festival:

1. The Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, Xiaozhengyue, Lantern Festival or Lantern Festival, falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year. The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional festivals in China, the Chinese cultural circle and overseas Chinese. The first month of the lunar calendar is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called "night" "xiao", so the fifteenth day of the first full moon of the year is called the Lantern Festival.

2. In ancient Chinese customs, Shangyuan Festival (Tianguan Festival, Lantern Festival), Zhongyuan Festival (Digguan Festival, Bon Festival), Xiayuan Festival (Shuiguan Festival) are collectively called Three yuan. The Lantern Festival began in the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty ordered that the fifteenth day of the first lunar month be designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities for "Taiyi God" were held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", he had already identified the Lantern Festival as a major festival.

3. Traditional customs include going out to enjoy the moon, lighting lanterns and setting off flames, guessing lantern riddles, eating Yuanxiao, pulling rabbit lanterns, etc. In addition, many local Lantern Festivals also include traditional folk performances such as dragon lantern dancing, lion dancing, stilt walking, land boat rowing, Yangko dancing, and Taiping drum playing. In June 2008, the Lantern Festival was selected into the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

The formation of the Lantern Festival customs has a long process. According to general information and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has been taken seriously in the Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty worshiped "Taiyi" in Ganquan Palace on Xinye night of the first lunar month. This activity was regarded by later generations as the precursor to offering sacrifices to the gods on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. However, the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month truly became a folk festival after the Han and Wei dynasties. The custom of lighting lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is related to the spread of Buddhism to the east.

The introduction of Buddhist culture in the Eastern Han Dynasty played an important role in the formation of the Lantern Festival customs. During the Yongping reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, in order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty ordered that on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month, lanterns should be lit in palaces and temples to represent the Buddha. Therefore, the custom of lighting lanterns on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month gradually expanded in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and later the addition of Taoist culture. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, displaying lanterns during the Lantern Festival gradually became a custom. Emperor Wu of Liang believed in Buddhism, and his palace was decorated with lights on the 15th day of the first lunar month.