There are also these legends about the Lantern Festival! Detailed explanation of the legends of the Lantern Festival
Introduction: Festivals are a way for people to commemorate or express their thoughts and feelings, which also makes festivals more attractive. There are many festivals in our country, some of which are accompanied by some magical, interesting, beautiful and tragic legends and allusions. So, what are the legends about the Lantern Festival? Let’s find out together! The first month of the lunar calendar is an important month. Let us pay attention to the traditional festivals and solar terms in the first month and have a good start of the month.Legend of the origin of lighting lanternsLegend has it that a long time ago, there were many ferocious birds and beasts that hurt people and livestock everywhere, so people organized 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 on their heads. They were so frightened that they didn't know what to do. After a long time, an old man came up with an idea. 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 set off 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.The legend of eating glutinous rice ballsAccording 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. Emperor Wu of Han took it and 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. The story of Yuan Shikai and Lantern FestivalLegend has it that after the thief Yuan Shikai usurped the fruits of the 1911 Revolution, he was determined to restore the throne and become emperor, but he was afraid of people's opposition and lived in fear all day long. One day, he heard a street vendor selling Yuanxiao shouting in a long voice: "Yuan-xiao." He thought that the word "Yuanxiao" was a homonym of "Yuanxiao," which seemed to imply the elimination of Yuan Shikai. He associated it with his own fate, so before the Lantern Festival in 1913, he issued an order that the word "Yuanxiao" should not be used and only "Tangyuan" or "Fengguo" could be used. However, the word "Yuanxiao" was not cancelled because of his will. The people did not buy his account and the word "Yuanxiao" was still circulated among the people.Summary: The above article provides us with a detailed analysis of the legends and stories related to the Lantern Festival. You can learn about it and feel the festival culture and charm of the Lantern Festival! After reading this article, there are more exciting contents in the special topic of the first month of the lunar calendar. Let’s take a look! |
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