When is the Lantern Festival in 2018? What are the customs and cultures of the Lantern Festival?
The festive Spring Festival has passed unknowingly, and many people have returned to their businesses or to work, creating a lively scene. We are also about to usher in our country's traditional festival, the "Lantern Festival". The Fortune Teller website provides you with more information related to the first month of the lunar calendar in 2018. You are welcome to learn more about it!When is the Lantern Festival in 2018?The 2018 Lantern Festival is on March 2, 2018, the 15th day of the first lunar month of 2018, which is Friday. The Lantern Festival is not a legal holiday, so there is no holiday.The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival that dates back to the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. According to data and folk legends, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was already taken seriously in the Western Han Dynasty. The activity of Emperor Wu of Han offering sacrifices to "Taiyi" in Ganquan Palace on the first night of the first lunar month was regarded by later generations as a precursor to the worship of gods in heaven on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The original meaning of Yuanxiao is "the night of the Lantern Festival". Because the main activity of the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is eating glutinous rice balls and appreciating the moon at night, the name of the festival later evolved into "Lantern Festival". When the Lantern Festival was in its early stages of being a festival, it was only called the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the middle of the first lunar month, or the full moon. After the Sui Dynasty, it was called Yuan Xi or Yuan Ye. Influenced by Taoism in the early Tang Dynasty, it was also called Shangyuan. It was occasionally called Yuanxiao in the late Tang Dynasty, but since the Song Dynasty it was also called Lantern Festival. In the Qing Dynasty it was called Lantern Festival. Legend has it that a long time ago, there were many ferocious birds and beasts that hurt people and livestock everywhere, so people organized themselves to fight them. One day, a divine bird landed on the earth because it got lost, but was accidentally shot to death by an unwitting hunter. When the Emperor of Heaven learned about it, he was very angry, and immediately issued an order to the heavenly soldiers to set fire to the human world on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and burn all the people, animals and property in the human world to death. The Emperor of Heaven's daughter was kind-hearted and could not bear to see innocent people suffer, so she risked her life and secretly came to the human world on a auspicious cloud to tell people the news. When everyone heard the news, it was like a loud bang in their heads. They were so scared that they didn't know what to do. After a long time, an old man came up with a solution. He said, "On the 14th, 15th and 16th days of the first lunar month, every household should decorate their homes with lanterns, light firecrackers and fireworks. In this way, the Emperor of Heaven will think that people have been burned to death." Everyone nodded in agreement and went to prepare separately. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Emperor of Heaven looked down and found that the world was full of red light and there was a deafening noise. This happened for three consecutive nights. He thought it was the flame of a big fire and was very happy. In this way, people saved their lives and property. To commemorate this success, every household hangs lanterns and sets off fireworks on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to commemorate this day. What are the customs and cultures of the Lantern Festival?Eating Yuanxiao <br /> Eating Yuanxiao on the 15th day of the first lunar month is a traditional Chinese food. In the Song Dynasty, a novel food for the Lantern Festival became popular among the people. This kind of food was first called "Fuyuanzi" and later called "Yuanxiao". Businessmen also called it "Yuanbao". Yuanxiao is filled with sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, osmanthus, walnut kernels, nuts, and jujube paste. It is wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape. It can be meat or vegetarian and has different flavors. It can be cooked in soup, fried, or steamed, symbolizing reunion and happiness.Viewing Lanterns <br /> During the Yongping reign of Emperor Ming of Han (58-75 AD), in order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Ming ordered that lanterns be lit in the palace and temples on the 15th night of the first lunar month to show respect to Buddha. Therefore, the custom of lighting lanterns on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture. The custom of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival developed into an unprecedented lantern fair in the Tang Dynasty. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, it has developed into a carnival for the entire nation. During the Kaiyuan Period (685-762 AD) of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the Lantern Festival in Chang'an was very grand, with 50,000 lanterns lit and a wide variety of lanterns. The emperor ordered people to build a giant lantern tower, which was 20 rooms wide and 150 feet high. It was dazzling with golden light and extremely spectacular. In the following generations, the Lantern Festival continued to develop and the duration of the festival became longer and longer. The Lantern Festival in the Tang Dynasty was "one day before and after the Lantern Festival". In the Song Dynasty, two days were added after the 16th. In the Ming Dynasty, it was extended to a full ten days from the 8th to the 18th. In the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus took control of the Central Plains and the palace no longer held lantern festivals. However, folk lantern festivals were still spectacular, with the duration shortened to five days. "Guessing lantern riddles" also known as "playing lantern riddles" 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. Chinese Valentine's Day <br /> The Lantern Festival is also a romantic festival. In the feudal traditional society, the Lantern Festival also provides an opportunity for unmarried men and women to get to know each other. In traditional society, young girls are not allowed to go out freely, but they can go out to play together during the festival. The Lantern Festival is a good opportunity for socializing. Unmarried men and women can also look for their partners while watching the lanterns. During the Lantern Festival, it is an opportunity for young men and women to meet their lovers. Get rid of all diseases <br /> In addition to the celebrations, there are also religious activities during the Lantern Festival. That is "walking away from all diseases", also known as "roasting away all diseases" and "dispersing all diseases". Most of the participants are women. They walk in groups or walk along the wall, or cross the bridge or walk in the suburbs, with the purpose of driving away diseases and disasters. |
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