Why is the Lantern Festival also called the Shangyuan Festival? What is the reason?

Why is the Lantern Festival also called the Shangyuan Festival? What is the reason?
Introduction: The Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, the Little New Year, the Yuanxiao Festival or the Lantern Festival. The well-known line "I searched for him among the crowds for hundreds of times. When I turned around, he was there, in the dim light." comes from Xin Qiji's Qingyu'an Yuanxiao, which tells about the Lantern Festival. So why is the Lantern Festival also called the Shangyuan Festival? What is the reason? Let’s follow the editor to find out. The first month of the lunar calendar is about to begin with various festivals. Let us count the important traditional festivals and customs of this month. A good year starts with spring.

The Origin of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival that dates back to the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. According to historical records 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" (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe) 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.
Yuanxiao originally meant "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 admiring the moon at night, the name of the festival later evolved into "Lantern Festival". On the night of the Lantern Festival, the streets and alleys are decorated with lights, people admire the lanterns, guess lantern riddles, and eat Lantern Festival rice dumplings, bringing the celebrations that began on New Year's Eve to another climax and becoming a custom passed down from generation to generation. 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, and it was occasionally called Yuanxiao in the late Tang Dynasty. But since the Song Dynasty, it has also been called Dengxi. In the Qing Dynasty, it was called the Lantern Festival. Abroad, the Lantern Festival is also known as The Lantern Festiva.

Why is the Lantern Festival also called the Shangyuan Festival?

The custom of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "Three Yuan Theory"; Yuan means the first full moon night of the new year. The origin of the Lantern Festival is recorded in "Miscellaneous Notes on the Seasons" that it is due to the old customs of Taoism. Taoism once called the fifteenth day of the first lunar month the Shangyuan Festival, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month the Zhongyuan Festival, and the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month the Xiayuan Festival, collectively known as the "Three Yuans". The Five Pecks of Rice Sect, an important Taoist sect in the late Han Dynasty, worshipped the God of Heaven, the God of Earth, and the God of Water. They believed that the God of Heaven bestowed blessings, the God of Earth pardoned sins, and the God of Water relieved disasters. They also paired the three officials with the Three Yuans, saying that the God of Heaven was born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month during the Shangyuan period, the God of Earth was born on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month during the Zhongyuan period, and the God of Water was born on the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month during the Xiayuan period. In this way, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is called the Lantern Festival. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Wu Zimu said in "Dreams of the Southern Song Dynasty": "The Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month is the day when the Heavenly Official of the Shangyuan Festival bestows blessings." Therefore, lanterns must be lit on the Shangyuan Festival.

The significance of the Lantern Festival

Legend has it that the Lantern Festival was established during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han to commemorate the "suppression of the Lü clan." After the death of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, Liu Ying, the son of Empress Lü, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of Han. Emperor Hui was cowardly and indecisive by nature, and power gradually fell into the hands of Empress Lü. After Emperor Hui of Han died of illness, Empress Lü took control of the government and turned the Liu family's empire into the Lü family's empire. The old ministers in the court and the Liu family were deeply indignant, but they were afraid of Empress Lü's cruelty and dared not speak out.
After Empress Lü died of illness, the Lü clan became extremely worried and fearful of being harmed and ostracized. So, they secretly gathered at the home of General Lu Lu and conspired to make a rebellion in order to completely seize the Liu family's kingdom. This matter reached the ears of Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, who, in order to protect the Liu family's kingdom, decided to lead an army to attack the Lü clan. He then contacted Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, two of the founding ministers, and designed a plan to remove Lü Lu. Finally, the "Lü Rebellion" was completely put down.
After the rebellion was quelled, the ministers supported Liu Bang's second son Liu Heng to ascend the throne and he was called Emperor Wen of Han. Emperor Wen felt that peace and prosperity were hard-won, so he designated the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day when the "Lu Rebellion" was quelled, as a day to celebrate with the people. Every household in the capital decorated their homes with lanterns and streamers to celebrate. From then on, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month became a folk festival celebrated throughout the country - "Lantern Festival".
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the sacrificial activities for "Taiyi God" were set on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", he had already designated the Lantern Festival as a major festival.
Summary: Through the above article, we know about the origin of the Lantern Festival and the commemorative significance of the festival. I hope you will like it. I wish you all smooth sailing and success in your career in the new year!

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!

<<:  What day is the 28th day of the first lunar month? What are the customs?

>>:  Lantern Festival Carnival What are the customs of the Lantern Festival in Suzhou?

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