the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, also known as the Lantern Festival, is a traditional folk festival in China. The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called it "Xiao", and the fifteenth day is the first full moon night in a year, so the fifteenth day of the first month is called the Lantern Festival. Also known as the first lunar month, Yuanxi or Lantern Festival, it is the first important festival after the Spring Festival. China has a vast territory and a long history, so the customs of Lantern Festival are different all over the country. Among them, eating Lantern Festival, watching lanterns, dancing dragons and Lantern Festival are one of the traditional festivals in China, which existed in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2, years ago. Lantern Festival viewing began in the period of Emperor Hanming in the East, and Ming Di advocated Buddhism. He heard that Buddhism had the practice of monks watching Buddhist relics and lighting lamps to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the first month, and ordered them to light lamps in palaces and temples on this night. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. The festival has experienced the development process from the palace to the folk, from the Central Plains to all parts of the country. On the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, just after the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, a traditional festival in China, is ushered in. The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called the night "Xiao", so they called the fifteenth day of the first month the Lantern Festival. The 15th day of the first month is the night of the first full moon in a year, and it is also the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. On the night in spring returns, people celebrate this and celebrate the continuation of the Spring Festival. Lantern Festival is also called "Shangyuan Festival". According to the folk tradition in China, on this bright night, people light up thousands of lanterns to celebrate. Going out to enjoy the moon, burning lamps and setting off flames, enjoying solve riddles on the lanterns, eating Lantern Festival, family reunion and celebrating the festive season are enjoyable [1]. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the fifteenth day of the first month was named Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities of "Taiyi God" were scheduled for the 15th day of the first month. Taiyi: the God who rules everything in the universe. When Sima Qian founded the "taichu calendar", he had identified the Lantern Festival as a major food festival. Another theory is that the custom of burning lanterns in Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "three-yuan theory"; The 15th day of the first month is Shangyuan Festival, the 15th day of July is Zhongyuan Festival, and the 15th day of October is Xiayuan Festival. The officials in charge of the upper, middle and lower three elements are heaven, earth and man respectively, and the heaven official is happy, so the lantern festival should be lit. The festivals and customs activities of the Lantern Festival are extended and expanded with the development of history. As far as the length of the festival is concerned, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the lights were lit from the eighth day of the eighth month until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month, for ten days. Connecting with the Spring Festival, the day is the city, which is very lively, and the lights are lit at night, which is spectacular. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival. By the Qing Dynasty, there were more "hundred plays" such as dragon dancing, lion dancing, roller boating, walking on stilts and dancing yangko, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days. Shangyuan means the first full moon night in the new year. The origin of Shangyuan Festival is recorded in Miscellanies at the Age of Years, which is a Taoist stereotype. Taoism once called the fifteenth day of the first month of the year Shangyuan Festival, the fifteenth day of July as Zhongyuan Festival, and the fifteenth day of October as Xiayuan Festival, which were collectively called "Sanyuan". The gods worshipped by Wudou Midao, an important faction of Taoism at the end of Han Dynasty, were Tianguan, Diguan and Shuiguan. They said that heavenly god blesses the people, the Diguan pardoned sins and Shuiguan relieved Eritrea, and they matched three officials with three yuan, saying that Shangyuan Tianguan was born on the 15th of the first month, Zhongyuan Diguan was born on the 15th of July and Xiayuan Shuiguan was born on the 15th of October. In this way, the fifteenth day of the first month is called Shangyuan Festival. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Wu Zimu said in Dream Liang Lu: "On the fifteenth day of the first month, it is the day of heavenly god blesses the people in Shangyuan." It is said that heavenly god blesses the people, the local officials forgive sins, but the real motivation of Lantern Festival custom is that it is at a new time point, and people make full use of this special time stage to express their wishes for life.

the formation of the Lantern Festival custom has a long process. According to historical data and folk legends, the 15th day of the first month has been paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty. The activity of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty offering sacrifices to the "Taiyi" (Taiyi: the god who rules everything in the world) on the night of the first month was regarded by later generations as the precursor of offering sacrifices to the gods on the 15th day of the first month. However, the fifteenth day of the first month was really a folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties. The introduction of Buddhist culture in the Eastern Han Dynasty is of great significance to the formation of the custom of Lantern Festival. Lantern Festival Lantern Festival

During the reign of Emperor Yongping of the Han Dynasty (58-175 AD), because the Ming Emperor advocated Buddhism, it coincided with Cai Cheng's return from India to seek Buddhism, saying that on the fifteenth day of the first month in Mohatuo, India, monks gathered to pay tribute to Buddhist relics, which was an auspicious day to participate in Buddhism. In order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Han Ming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in the palace and temple on the fifteenth night of the first month. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the fifteenth night of the first month has gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture. It is also said that the Lantern Festival originated from the "Torch Festival". In the Han Dynasty, people held torches in rural fields to drive away insects and beasts, hoping to reduce pests and pray for a good harvest. To this day, people in some areas in southwest China still make torches out of reeds or branches on the fifteenth day of the first month, and hold them high in groups and dance in fields or grain drying fields. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been in full swing. Tens of thousands of people took part in singing and dancing, from faint to dull. With the changes of society and times, the customs of Lantern Festival have changed greatly, but it is still a traditional folk festival in China. Another theory is that the custom of burning lanterns in Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "three-yuan theory"; The 15th day of the first month is Shangyuan Festival, the 15th day of July is Zhongyuan Festival, and the 15th day of October is Xiayuan Festival. The officials in charge of the upper, middle and lower three elements are heaven, earth and man respectively, and the heaven official is happy, so the lantern festival should be lit. The festivals and customs activities of the Lantern Festival are extended and expanded with the development of history. As far as the length of the festival is concerned, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the lights were lit from the eighth day of the eighth month until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month, for ten days. Connecting with the Spring Festival, the day is the city, which is very lively, and the lights are lit at night, which is spectacular. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival. By the Qing Dynasty, there were more "hundred plays" such as dragon dancing, lion dancing, roller boating, walking on stilts and dancing yangko, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days.

Edit the related legend in this paragraph

Origin of lighting lanterns

Legend has it that a long time ago, there were many fierce birds and beasts, which harmed people and livestock everywhere, so people organized to fight them. A god bird fell to earth because it got lost, 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, and they were so scared that they 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 his heart was so happy. 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.

Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty commemorates Pinglu

Legend has it that the Lantern Festival was set up by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to commemorate Pinglu. After the death of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, Lv Hou's son Liu Ying became Emperor Hui of Han Dynasty. Huidi was born weak and indecisive, and the power gradually fell into the hands of Lv Hou. After the death of Emperor Huidi, Lv Hou monopolized the state affairs and turned Liu's world into Lu's world. The old minister in the DPRK and Liu's imperial clan were deeply indignant, but they were all afraid of Lv Hou's cruelty and dared not speak out. After Lv Hou's death, Zhu Lu was afraid of being hurt and excluded. So, in the home of the general Lv Lu, they secretly assembled and conspired for the insurrection, so as to completely seize Liu Jiangshan. The matter reached the ears of Liu Nang, the king of the Liu clan. Liu Nang decided to attack Zhu Lv in order to protect Liu Jiangshan. Later, he got in touch with zhou bo and Chen Ping, the founding elders, and designed to remove Lv Lu. After the rebellion, all the ministers established Liu Bang's second son, Liu Heng, to reign, calling him Emperor Wen. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Wen Di put an end to the "Zhu Lv Rebellion". Since then, the fifteenth day of the first month has become a popular folk festival-"Lantern Festival". Another theory is that the custom of burning lanterns in Yuanxiao [2] originated from the Taoist "three-yuan theory"; The 15th day of the first month is Shangyuan Festival, the 15th day of July is Zhongyuan Festival, and the 15th day of October is Xiayuan Festival. The officials in charge of the upper, middle and lower three elements are heaven, earth and man respectively, and the heaven official is happy, so the lantern festival should be lit. The festivals and customs activities of the Lantern Festival are extended and expanded with the development of history. As far as the length of the festival is concerned, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the lights were lit from the eighth day of the eighth month until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month, for ten days. Connecting with the Spring Festival, the day is the city, which is very lively, and the lights are lit at night, which is spectacular. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival. By the Qing Dynasty, there were more "hundred plays" such as dragon dancing, lion dancing, roller boating, walking on stilts and dancing yangko, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days.

The legend of Dong Fangshuo and Yuanxiao Girl

has something to do with the custom of eating Yuanxiao: According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favorite named Dong Fangshuo, who was kind and funny. One winter, it snowed heavily for several days, and Dong Fangshuo went to the Imperial Garden to fold plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as I entered the garden gate, I found a maid-in-waiting in tears ready to throw herself into the well. Dong Fangshuo rushed forward to help and asked why she wanted to commit suicide. It turns out that this maid-in-waiting named Yuanxiao has parents and a younger sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she has never missed the legend of Dong Fangshuo and Yuanxiao girl to meet her family. Every year, when spring comes, she misses her family more than usual. I think it is better to die than to be filial in front of my parents. Dong Fangshuo was deeply sympathetic to what happened to her and assured her that she would try to reunite her with her family. One day, Dong Fangshuo left the palace and set up a divination booth on Chang 'an Avenue. Many people are vying to ask him for divination. Unexpectedly, what everyone wants is the signature of "the sixteenth day of the first month burns us". Suddenly, there was a great panic in Chang 'an. People are asking for solutions to the disaster. Dong Fangshuo said, "On the evening of the fifteenth day of the first month, Vulcan will send a goddess in red to visit the earth. She is the messenger who ordered the burning of Chang 'an. I will give you the transcribed poems, so that today's emperors can do something." Say that finish, then dropped a red post and roared off. The common people picked up the red post and quickly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took it and saw that it said, "Chang 'an is robbing, the imperial palace is being burned by fire, and the fire is burning for fifteen days, and the midnight snack is red." He was greatly frightened and quickly invited Dong Fangshuo, who was resourceful. Dong Fangshuo thought for a while, and said, "I heard that Vulcan loves to eat glutinous rice balls. Doesn't Yuanxiao in the palace often make glutinous rice balls for you? Let Yuanxiao make dumplings on 15th night. Long live the incense and offerings, and command every family in Kyoto to make dumplings and worship Vulcan together. Then tell the subjects to hang lights together on the fifteenth night, light firecrackers and set off fireworks all over the city, which seems to be a fire all over the city, so that the jade emperor can be fooled. In addition, inform the people outside the city that they will go to the city to watch the lights on the fifteenth night, and they will eliminate disasters and solve problems in the crowd. " Upon hearing this, Emperor Wudi was very happy, so he ordered him to do it according to Dong Fangshuo's way. On the fifteenth day of the first month, Chang 'an city was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and tourists were bustling and lively. The parents of the maid-in-waiting Yuanxiao also took their sister to the city to watch the lights. When they saw the big palace lantern with the words "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao! Lantern Festival! " When Yuanxiao heard the shouts, she was finally reunited with her relatives at home. After such a busy night, Chang 'an was safe. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed, so he ordered that glutinous rice balls should be made for Vulcan every fifteenth day of the first month, and the whole city would hang lights and set off fireworks on the fifteenth day of the first month. Because Yuanxiao makes the best dumplings, this day is called Lantern Festival.

Yuan Shikai and Yuanxiao

Legend has it that Yuan Shikai, a national thief, usurped the achievements of the Revolution of 1911, was bent on restoring his throne as emperor, but he was afraid of people's opposition, and he was always on tenterhooks. One day, he heard people selling Yuanxiao in the street screaming, "Yuan-Xiao." I think that the word "Yuanxiao" is homophonic with "Yuan Xiao", which is suspected of Yuan Shikai's extinction and associated with my own fate. So before the Lantern Festival in 1913, it was forbidden to call it "Yuanxiao" and it could only be called "Tangyuan" or "Pink Fruit". However, the word "Yuanxiao" was not cancelled because of his will, and the people did not buy his account, so it was still circulated among the people.

Editing this festival custom

Since the custom of decorating lanterns on Lantern Festival came into being, watching lanterns on the 15th day of the first month has been a great event in all dynasties. Liang Jian Wendi once wrote a poem "Liedeng Fu": "The south oil is full, and the west paint is burning. Su Zheng rests in peace, and wax comes out of Longchuan. "The oblique light reflects each other, and the reflection is clear." It depicts the grand occasion when the court decorated lanterns at the Lantern Festival. During Emperor Yangdi's reign, a grand party was held on the 15th day of the first month every year to entertain guests and envoys from all over the world. According to "Sui Shu Music Records", the Lantern Festival is very grand, with lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere, singing and dancing day and night, with more than 3, performers and more than 18, musicians. The stage is eight miles long, and countless people are playing and watching the lanterns, staying up all night, enjoying themselves and being very lively. In the Tang dynasty, it developed into an unprecedented lantern market, and after the middle Tang dynasty, it has developed into a national carnival. During the prosperous time of Kaiyuan in Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (685-762 AD), the lantern market in Chang 'an was very large, with 5, lanterns and various lanterns. The emperor ordered people to make 2 giant lantern buildings, which were 15 feet high and glittering and spectacular. In the Tang Dynasty, a curfew was imposed, and it was forbidden to travel when the drums were banned at night, and people who committed crimes at night were punished. Only on the Shangyuan Festival, the emperor granted a three-day ban, which was called "letting the night go". Along the Song Dynasty, lanterns were extended from three nights to five nights, fireworks were set off in addition to lanterns, and various juggling performances were performed, making the scene more lively. It is recorded in "Dream of Tokyo" that during the Lantern Festival, on the Imperial Street in Kaifeng, 1, lanterns are built into a lantern mountain, and the lanterns are fireworks, which are resplendent and splendid. Girls in Kyoto are singing and dancing, and people are watching. "Visitors gather under the two colonnades of the Imperial Street, with marvelous skills, singing and dancing, tangency of scales, and noisy music for more than ten miles." In the streets and lanes, the lights and candles of tea houses and wine shops are all burning, gongs and drums are ringing, firecrackers are ringing, and hundreds of miles of lights are everywhere. Compatriots around the country celebrate the Lantern Festival

In the Ming Dynasty, after Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne in Jinling, in order to make the capital prosperous, it was stipulated that the lights would be on the eighth day of the first month, and the lights would be off for 17 nights, and every household would hang colorful lights, which depicted various figures, dancing and birds flying. The date was shortened to five days and continues to this day. Solve riddles on the lanterns's "solve riddles on the lanterns", also known as "playing riddles", is an activity added after the Lantern Festival. Lantern riddles first developed from riddles and originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It is a literary game full of ridicule, discipline, humor and banter. The riddle hung on the lamp for people to guess and shoot, which began in the Southern Song Dynasty. Wu