When is the Lantern Festival? Why do people set fires on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival?

When is the Lantern Festival? Why do people set fires on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival?
As one of my country's traditional festivals, many of our friends are concerned about when the Lantern Festival is. So, let's take a look at when the Lantern Festival is. Why do people set fires on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival? The first month of the lunar year is the first month of the year, marking the official start of the new year. If you want to know more about the first month of 2022, please click on the special topic of the first month of 2022 on Shuimoxiansheng.com.

When is the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year, which is the fifteenth day of the Spring Festival. The Lantern Festival is one of China's traditional festivals.
Because the first month of the lunar calendar is the first month of the year, the ancients called "night" "xiao", and the fifteenth day of the first month is the first full moon night of the year, so the fifteenth day of the first month is called the "Lantern Festival."
Since ancient times, the custom of the Lantern Festival has been dominated by the lively and festive custom of viewing lanterns. The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional festivals in China, the Chinese character cultural circle and overseas Chinese. The Lantern Festival mainly includes a series of traditional folk customs such as watching lanterns, eating rice dumplings, guessing lantern riddles, and setting off fireworks.

Why do people set fires on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival?

Setting fire on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, is actually related to a folk story.
According to legend, Emperor Wu of Han had a favorite minister named Dongfang Shuo, who was kind and humorous. One winter, it snowed heavily for several days, and Dongfang Shuo went to the imperial garden to pick plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as I entered the garden, I saw a palace maid with tears streaming down her face, preparing to jump into a well. Dongfang Shuo rushed forward to rescue her and asked her why she wanted to commit suicide. It turned out that the palace maid was named Yuanxiao. She had parents and a younger sister at home. Since she entered the palace, she had never had the chance to meet her family again. Every year when the end of the year came and spring arrived, she missed her family more than usual. I feel that since I cannot fulfill my filial duties to my parents, it would be better to die. Dongfang Shuo felt deeply sympathetic after hearing her story and promised her that he would find a way to reunite her with her family.
One day, Dongfang Shuo left the palace and set up a fortune-telling stall on Chang'an Street. Many people vied to ask him for divination. Unexpectedly, everyone’s fortune was the same: “You will be burned to death on the 16th day of the first lunar month.” For a moment, there was great panic in Chang'an. People asked for solutions to the disaster. Dongfang Shuo said, "On the evening of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the God of Fire will send a goddess in red to investigate. She is the messenger who was ordered to burn Chang'an. I will give you the copied verses, and you can let the current emperor think of a solution." After that, he threw down a red note and left. The common people took the red card and rushed to the palace to report to the emperor.
When Emperor Wu of Han took it and looked at it, he saw that it was written: "Chang'an is in danger, the imperial palace will be burned, the fire will last for fifteen days, and the flames will be red at night." He was shocked and quickly invited the resourceful Dongfang Shuo. Dongfang Shuo pretended to think about it and said, "I heard that the God of Fire loves to eat glutinous rice balls. Doesn't Yuanxiao in the palace often make glutinous rice balls for you? You can ask Yuanxiao to make glutinous rice balls on the fifteenth night. Your Majesty should burn incense and offer sacrifices, and order every family in Kyoto to make glutinous rice balls to worship the God of Fire together. Then order your subjects to hang lanterns together on the fifteenth night, and set off firecrackers and fireworks all over the city, as if the whole city is on fire . In this way, you can deceive the Jade Emperor. In addition, notify the people outside the city to come into the city to watch the lanterns on the fifteenth night and mingle with the crowd to ward off disasters and solve problems." After hearing this, Emperor Wu was very happy and ordered to do as Dongfang Shuo suggested.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the city of Chang'an was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, and tourists were bustling about, making it very lively. The parents of the palace maid Yuanxiao also brought her sister into the city to watch the lanterns. When they saw the big lantern with the word "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao! Yuanxiao!" Yuanxiao heard the shouts and was finally reunited with his family.
After such a lively night, Chang'an City was indeed safe and sound. Emperor Wu of Han was overjoyed, and he ordered that every fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people would make glutinous rice balls as a sacrifice to the God of Fire. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the whole city would hang lanterns and set off fireworks. Because the glutinous rice balls made during the Yuanxiao Festival are the best, this day is called the Yuanxiao Festival.

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