When do we light lanterns during the Lantern Festival? What is the origin of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival?

When do we light lanterns during the Lantern Festival? What is the origin of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival?
Introduction: The Lantern Festival is an important traditional festival in our country, and there is a custom of lighting lanterns on the Lantern Festival. So which day do we light lanterns during the Lantern Festival? What is the origin of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival? Let’s follow the editor to find out! For more details about the 2018 Lunar New Year calendar, please visit the Fortune Teller website for consultation!

When do we light lanterns during the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month usually starts with making lanterns on the 13th day of the first lunar month. The New Year songs in old Beijing include "On the eleventh day, people are shouting and chatting; on the twelfth day, they are setting up the lantern shed; on the thirteenth day, they are lighting the lanterns; on the fourteenth day, the lanterns are brightly lit..." In other words, the thirteenth day of the first lunar month is for "lighting the lanterns"; the fourteenth day is for "testing the lanterns"; the fifteenth day is for "the real lighting"; and the seventeenth day is for "turning off the lanterns". Starting from the 13th day of the first lunar month, people begin to hang up lanterns and make colorful lanterns!
On the 13th day of the first lunar month, there is an important folk activity called "Lantern Head Birthday". People light lamps under the kitchen stove on this day, which is called "lighting the stove lamp". In fact, it is because the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day of lantern festival, is approaching, and each family tries to make lanterns, so it is called the "lamp head" day. In the old days, Nantong started lighting lanterns on the 13th day of the first lunar month and put them out on the 18th day. There is a saying that "gods watch the lanterns on the 13th and 14th, people watch the lanterns on the 15th and 16th, and ghosts watch the lanterns on the 17th and 18th". There is also a custom of "putting on lanterns with round balls and taking off lanterns with noodles". There is a constant stream of people coming to see the lanterns in the City God Temple.

What is the origin of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival?

The custom of lighting lanterns on the Lantern Festival began in the Southern Song Dynasty. According to historical records, in the third year of Chunyou reign of Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1243 AD), there was a custom of "lighting lanterns in advance, and from the 13th day onwards, all the alleys and bridges would be lined with bamboo lanterns." There is also a folk song that says: On the thirteenth day, eat porridge with mustard greens, which means that from New Year's Eve to today, all the delicious food has been eaten, so only porridge can be eaten.
The custom of lighting lanterns began in the Han Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling founded Taoism and designated the fifteenth day of the first lunar month as the "Shangyuan Festival". On this day, lanterns should be lit to worship the "Taiyi God". This custom has been passed down from generation to generation. During the Sui Dynasty, a grand lantern festival was held every year to entertain envoys from various countries.
The Lantern Festival became a custom by the middle of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty lifted the curfew on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the second year of Xiantian (713) and ordered the lighting of thousands of lanterns, which were kept on for three nights, creating a grand event at the time. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Northern Song Dynasty, the lantern-lighting period was extended to five nights. It starts at fourteen and ends at eighteen. More prosperous. Hence, there is a saying that “Tangyuan in Song Dynasty and lanterns in Sui Dynasty”. In addition, lantern riddles appeared in the Song Dynasty. Riddles were tied to lanterns, allowing people to guess the riddles while enjoying the lanterns, which added to the fun. The term "lantern riddle" originated from this. In the seventh year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, the court issued an edict that "the Lantern Festival starts on the 11th day, and a ten-day holiday is granted." It became the longest Lantern Festival in history and also became a national festival. In the Qing Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was extended to four days, but the grand occasion remained the same. The festival starts on the 13th of the first lunar month when “lights are lit, on the 14th when they are tested, and on the 15th when the lights are actually lit.” The excitement continues until the 18th when “lights are put out,” and the entire Spring Festival comes to an end.
Summary: The above content is about [Which day should we light lanterns during the Lantern Festival? What is the origin of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival? 】Problem analysis, hope it can help everyone!

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