When is the Lantern Festival? What are its origins and activities?
The Lantern Festival actually refers to the folk activities of the Lantern Festival, which is one of China's important traditional festivals. When is the Lantern Festival, and what are its origins and activities? There are twelve months in a year, and the first month of the lunar calendar is also called the first month. The first day of the first lunar month is the Spring Festival, and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival...Shuimoxiansheng.com’s 2020 first lunar month special topic will interpret every day of the first lunar month for you!When is the Lantern Festival?The Lantern Festival refers to the first full-moon night of the New Year - the fifteenth night of the first lunar month. It is an important traditional festival of the Chinese folk, also known as the "Shangyuan Festival."(1) Palaces, temples, communities and altars are built all over Putian, Fujian. Each community has a fixed area and day designated in ancient times. The 14th, 15th and 16th days are the most lively and are called "Lantern Festival". (2) There are also activities such as the “General Lantern Festival” and the “Last Night Lanterns”, which are large-scale Lantern Festival processions held in larger community temples. Lantern Festival Lantern Festival period: 》——In terms of the length of the festival, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty , five days in the Song Dynasty, and in the Ming Dynasty the lights were lit from the eighth day to the seventeenth night of the first lunar month, a full ten days . 》——It is connected with the Spring Festival. It is very lively during the day 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. 》——During the Qing Dynasty, dragon and lion dances, land boat racing, stilt walking, and yangko dance were added, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days. Lantern Festival: Playing with lanterns is a traditional festival custom of the Lantern Festival, which originated in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the custom of lighting lanterns became popular and was passed down to later generations. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the climax of the annual lantern and fireworks festival. Therefore, the Lantern Festival is also called the "Lantern Festival". In the county-level city walls and even villages and towns in Shanxi, these are concentrated areas of residents and prosperous and lively areas; Before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the streets are hung with lanterns, flowers are in bloom everywhere, and lights are swaying, reaching its climax on the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. What are the origins and activities of the Lantern Festival?》The origin of Lantern Festival:(1) Historical Origin: ——The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival which has existed as early as the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. During the time of Emperor Wen of Han, an order was issued to designate the fifteenth day of the first lunar month as the Lantern Festival. ——During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the sacrificial activities for the "Taiyi God" were set 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 designated the Lantern Festival as a major festival. (2) Taoist legends: The custom of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "Three Yuan Theory"; the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Shangyuan Festival, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is the Zhongyuan Festival, and the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month is the Xiayuan Festival. The three officials in charge of the upper, middle and lower Yuan are the three officials of heaven, earth and man respectively. The official of heaven is happy, so lights must be lit on the Lantern Festival. 》Lantern Festival activities: (1) Dragon Lantern Dance <br /> Yangdian Town, Xiaogan City, Hubei Province is known as the “Hometown of Dragon Lanterns”. Yangdian Dragon Lantern, which is called "Yangdian Gaolong" in Xiaogan, is the second batch of intangible cultural heritage of Xiaogan City and the third batch of Hubei Province. (2) Lantern Festival <br /> According to historical records, the Lantern Festival was held in the capital city of Nanjing as early as the beginning of the Southern Dynasties. It is the earliest recorded lantern festival in China. In order to pray for good weather, happy families and peace in the world, the scene of hanging lanterns and decorations began to spread from the deep palaces and religious places to the general public. The scene of "lights filling the streets" was quite spectacular. In this regard, Emperor Xiao Gang of Liang and Emperor Houzhu of Chen used vivid poems to describe the social custom of using lanterns to add to the festive atmosphere in the Southern Dynasties. (3) Guessing lantern riddles "Guessing lantern riddles" is also called "playing lantern riddles". It is an activity added after the Lantern Festival and appeared in the Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, riddles were made in the capital Lin'an every Lantern Festival, and many people came to guess the riddles. In the beginning, curious people would write riddles on pieces of paper and stick them on colorful lanterns for people to guess. Because riddles can enlighten the mind and are interesting, they are welcomed by all walks of life during the process of circulation. (4) Eating Yuanxiao (Chinese Yuanxiao)<br /> Yuanxiao is eaten on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Yuanxiao as a food has a long history in China. In the Song Dynasty, a novel food for the Lantern Festival became popular among the Chinese people. This kind of food was first called "Fuyuanzi" and later called "Yuanxiao". Businessmen also called it "Yuanbao". Yuanxiao, also known as "tangyuan", is filled with sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, osmanthus, walnut kernels, nuts, jujube paste, etc. It is wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape. It can be meat or vegetarian, with different flavors. It can be cooked in soup, fried, or steamed, symbolizing reunion and happiness. The glutinous rice balls in Shaanxi are not wrapped but "rolled" in glutinous rice flour and then boiled or fried. They are hot and round. (5) Celebrating the Lantern Festival <br /> The Lantern Festival folk activities in Putian, Fujian Province, start on the sixth day of the first lunar month and end on the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month when the "Last Night Lantern Festival" is held at the Mazu Temple. Every day, different villages and families celebrate the Lantern Festival. The activities are rich and colorful, and the grand occasion is even more grand than the Spring Festival. |
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