There is also a saying that the Lantern Festival originated from the Torch Festival. There is also the view that the Lantern Festival was set up by ancient people to celebrate the first full moon night of the year, so it is also called "Shangyuan Festival".
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.
The significance of Lantern Festival:
The Spring Festival, from the closing of doors on New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, is a process in which people constantly expand their activities and interpersonal relationships. New Year greetings to parents on the first day, and New Year greetings to parents on the second day. In the future, we will gradually expand the scope of New Year greetings to ordinary relatives and friends. During this period, people's activities are limited to acquaintances.
The fifth day is the fifth day, so farm work can start and shops can open. During this period, society began to operate normally. On the fifteenth day of the first month, all members of society, regardless of sex, age and age, joined in the festival activities. Therefore, the Lantern Festival has the significance of confirming the relationship between all members of society (including those who don't know each other).