What is the legend and origin of Lantern Festival?
Legend 1 of Lantern Festival:
Legend has it that a long time ago, there were many fierce birds and beasts that hurt people and livestock everywhere, so people organized themselves to beat them. A god bird was trapped and landed on earth, but was accidentally shot dead by an unsuspecting hunter.
The Emperor of Heaven was very angry when he learned about it. He immediately sent a decree and ordered the heavenly soldiers to set fire to the earth on the 15th day of the first month, and burned all the human and animal property. The daughter of Emperor Tiandi was kind-hearted. She couldn't bear to see the innocent suffering of the people, so she risked her life and secretly drove Xiangyun to the world to tell people the news.
When people heard the news, it was like a thunderclap on their heads. I was so scared that I didn't know what to do. It was a long time before an old man came up with an idea. He said, "On the 14th, 15th and 16th of the first month, every family decorated their houses, lit firecrackers and set off fireworks.
In this way, the emperor of heaven will think that people have been burned to death. " Everyone nodded and said yes, so they were ready to go separately. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, the Emperor looked down and found that the world was red and the noise was deafening for three consecutive nights. He thought it was the flame of a big fire, and it was fast.
In this way, people saved their lives and property. In order to commemorate this success, every household hangs lanterns and sets off fireworks to commemorate this day on the fifteenth day of the first month.
What else is the legend and origin of the Lantern Festival?
Legend of Lantern Festival II:
According to legend, in ancient times, in order to unify the whole country, the Jade Emperor sent the Kitchen God Bodhisattva to stay in the world to understand the people's feelings, and reported back every Wednesday. On the 23rd day of the winter month in the summer calendar, the Kitchen God Bodhisattva reported back to the Jade Emperor: "The people on earth eat only meager food for 365 days a year. Working hard every day, never taking a break, and going on like this, I am worried that the subalterns will be exhausted by excessive fatigue and cannot produce, which will definitely affect their contribution. " When the Jade Emperor heard about it, he ordered his ministers to negotiate a good plan. Taibai Venus said, "Your Majesty can order the founder of Heng Tuo to come down to earth and give the people some medicine, so that they can get sick slowly and naturally rest." The jade emperor allowed it to be played, and the mission was handled according to this.
On the morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the summer calendar, Father Heng Tuo secretly dropped crazy medicine in the people's rice cookers. When the medicine was put into the pot, it turned into soybeans, peas, garlic sprouts, tofu and meat. After eating it, the people really became "crazy" slowly: women sewed new clothes and embroidered shoes, and men killed pigs and sheep, and they didn't want to work in the fields. After the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, crazy people became very medicinal. People invite people to dinner at the owner's house and guests to drink at the west's house. At noon on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the people took out all kinds of delicious food and gathered around the table, and the whole family ate and drank. From the first day of the first month, men, women and children not only eat well, but also play around in red and green all day. Some are painted with painted faces, beating gongs and drums and wandering around; Some invited people to pay New Year's greetings with gifts.
On the 13th day of the first month, the Kitchen God Bodhisattva went to heaven and said, "Your Majesty, it's no good, the people are all crazy! If you eat and play, you will live and do nothing. If this continues, how can you get it? " The Jade Emperor was very surprised when he heard about it, so he ordered his ministers to discuss the best plan again. Taibai Venus also played: "If you want to cure the people of madness, you can make the medicine king Bodhisattva try." The Jade Emperor allowed the King of Medicine and Bodhisattva to come down to earth to govern.
On the evening of the 14th day of the first month, Bodhisattva, the King of Medicine, turned the people's supper into glutinous rice balls, which were filled with sesame seeds, walnuts, white sugar and other sobering agents. The people ate them, and the madness all recovered the next morning, and the family went back to their usual work as usual.
In this way, the cycle continues, forming the habit of Chinese New Year.
Lantern Festival is one of the most important festivals of China people. It is called Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, and the Lantern Festival will push the celebration that started on New Year's Eve to another climax.