What are the origins and activities of the Lantern Festival?

What are the origins and activities of the Lantern Festival?
As the name suggests, the Lantern Festival refers to some folk activities related to the Lantern Festival. So, how did these folk activities come about? What are the contents? Seize the time of spring and you will have a good year. The first month of spring is the most important month. Shuimoxiansheng.com brings you knowledge sharing about January. Please check out the special topic of the first month of the lunar calendar in 2019.

The Origin of Lantern Festival

Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, just after the Spring Festival, China welcomes its traditional festival - the Lantern Festival. The first month of the lunar calendar is the first month of the year. The ancients called the night "xiao", so the fifteenth day of the first month is called the Lantern Festival. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the first full-moon night of the year. It is also the night when a new year begins and the earth returns to spring. People celebrate this night, which is also a continuation of the celebration of the New Year. The Lantern Festival is also known as the "Shangyuan Festival." According to Chinese folk tradition, on this night when the moon is high in the sky, people light up thousands of colorful lanterns to celebrate. Go out to admire the moon, light lanterns and fireworks, guess lantern riddles, eat Yuanxiao together, reunite with family, and celebrate the festival together in great joy. The period and customs of the Lantern Festival have been extended and expanded with the development of history. 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. In 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.

What are the activities for the Lantern Festival?

During the Lantern Festival, the temple in the village hangs up lanterns and decorations, sets out vegetarian dishes, establishes a "banquet table", stacks cakes and fruits, and builds orange towers, and the villagers carry statues of Bodhisattvas and perform Nuo rituals. Every household sets up an incense table in the hall, burns incense and firecrackers, burns "tribute silver", and burns firewood, praying for a better life in the coming year. That night, there were lantern parades, palm-leaf bridges, Nuo fire dances, dragon and lion dances, and operas, and people stayed up all night long. During the Lantern Festival, folk activities take various forms, reflecting the strong cohesion and local flavor unique to Putian culture. It is a true "carnival" with strong Chinese characteristics. Life in this world depends entirely on luck. Will your future be a blessing or a curse? Click on the exquisite calculation below to know the answer!

<<:  Do people born on the 15th day of the first lunar month in 2019 have a strong destiny and a good marriage?

>>:  What festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in 2019? Is the Lantern Festival a legal holiday?

Recommend

What does the Cold Dew solar term mean and what is its significance?

Cold Dew falls on the 7th or 8th of October in the...