Review of the customs of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Part 2)

Review of the customs of the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Part 2)
Introduction: How much do you know about the customs of the Lantern Festival? In addition to the well-known eating Yuanxiao and appreciating lanterns, what other traditional customs are there during the Lantern Festival? The editor has compiled a complete list of Lantern Festival customs for everyone. The content is very comprehensive. Friends who are interested, please follow the editor to learn about it! A year's plan begins with spring, and the Spring Festival is an important traditional festival of ours. Do you want to know more about the Spring Festival? Come and take a look at the Spring Festival special topic carefully prepared by Mr. Shui Mo!
Lantern Festival customs: grabbing lanterns and furs
In Hainan, the Chinese New Year is not considered over until the 15th day of the first lunar month. In Wenchang, the "Qing Lantern Fur Festival" on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is very interesting. "Deng" is pronounced the same as "Ding" in Hainanese dialect. In Wenchang, on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month, when people hold up lanterns they have made and walk around the village and hang them up in the village temple, couples who are yet to conceive will rush to grab the lanterns made by pregnant parents, in the hope of having a child in the coming year. After giving birth to a child as she wished in the next year, she would make lanterns and hang them in the village temple to fulfill her wish. At this time, other couples who have not yet had children can participate in the "lantern grabbing" activity.
Lantern Festival Customs: Release Sky Lanterns
Releasing sky lanterns during the Lantern Festival is also a major folk custom. Sky lanterns, also known as Kongming lanterns, were invented by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period. The custom of flying sky lanterns is said to have been introduced by immigrants from Hui'an, Fujian, and has a history of more than 200 years. Legend has it that sky lanterns can convey wishes to the gods, so those who release them write their names, addresses and wishes on white paper lanterns with brushes and set off firecrackers to boost the momentum of the lanterns. Dragon Lantern Dance, also known as Dragon Lantern Playing, Dragon Lantern Dance and Dragon Dance, is one of the important traditional cultural activities among the Chinese people. The dragon, as the totem of the Chinese nation, is highly respected and loved by all ethnic groups and has always been regarded as the first of the five auspicious beasts in China. At the end of every year, or during major festivals and solar terms, from national celebrations to folk activities, people will happily play with dragon lanterns to pray for the dragon god to bring good luck, and to ensure a year of good weather, peace and prosperity for the country and the people, and prosperity of all industries.
Lantern Festival customs: eating Lantern Festival dumplings
It is a custom for people to eat Yuanxiao during the Lantern Festival. Yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice and can be solid or stuffed. The fillings include red bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, and various fruits. It can be boiled, fried, steamed, or deep-fried when eaten. At first, people called this food "floating dumplings", and later called it "tangtuan" or "tangyuan". These names are similar to the word "reunion", which means reunion, symbolizing the reunion of the whole family, harmony and happiness. People also use it to miss their separated relatives and express their good wishes for future life.
Lantern Festival Customs: Sending Lanterns to Children
It is abbreviated as "sending lanterns" or "sending flower lanterns", which means that before the Lantern Festival, the daughter's parents send flower lanterns to the family of the newly married daughter, or relatives and friends send lanterns to the family of a newly married couple without children, in order to pray for a good omen of having children, because "lantern" and "ding" are homophones. This custom exists in many places. In Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, lanterns are sent between the 8th and 15th day of the first lunar month. In the previous year, a pair of large palace lanterns and a pair of painted glass lanterns are sent, hoping that the daughter will be blessed with good fortune after marriage and give birth to a son soon. If the daughter is pregnant, in addition to the large palace lanterns, one or two pairs of small lanterns are also sent, wishing the daughter a safe pregnancy.
Lantern Festival Customs: Lion Dance
Lion dancing is an excellent Chinese folk art. During the Lantern Festival or gatherings and celebrations, people perform lion dancing to add to the fun. This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period, became popular during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and has a history of more than a thousand years.
Lantern Festival Customs: Welcoming Zigu
Zi Gu is a kind, poor girl in folk legends. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Zi Gu died of poverty. The people sympathized with her and missed her, and in some places the custom of "welcoming Zi Gu on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month" emerged. Every night on this day, people make a life-size portrait of Zi Gu out of straw and cloth. The women stood by the toilet, pigpen and kitchen where Zi Gu often worked to welcome her. They held her hands, spoke kind words to her and comforted her with tears, just like they would their own sister. The scene was very vivid and truly reflected the working people's thoughts and feelings of kindness, loyalty and sympathy for the weak.
Lantern Festival Customs: Exorcising All Diseases
"Walking away all diseases" is also called "touring all diseases", "dispersing all diseases", "roasting all diseases", "walking on a bridge", etc. This is also an activity used by people to eliminate disasters and pray for health. Walking away all diseases has been a custom in the north since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Some people do it on the 15th day, but most of them do it on the 16th day. On the night of the Lantern Festival, many women would make appointments to go out together. They would walk together and cross every bridge they saw, in order to cure diseases and prolong their lives. Single friends can move around more during the Lantern Festival, which can also improve their emotional fortunes.
Lantern Festival customs: making zodiac animals
Making zodiac animals is a custom in Rongcheng, Shandong. Generally, soybean flour is used as the material. The posture of the zodiac animal can be improvised, but it must be accompanied by some vegetable seeds and leaves, symbolizing "a good harvest." The zodiac animals all carry a lamp bowl on their backs. The bowl is filled with oil and a small stick wrapped with cotton wool is inserted into it, commonly known as "yao niang". On the night of the Lantern Festival, the lanterns are placed on a plate and lit. Everyone gathers around to watch, hoping that sparks will burst. The bigger the sparks, the more auspicious it is, as it indicates a good harvest in the coming year. Moreover, whoever's zodiac lamp burns the longest will have good luck, health and safety in the new year.
Summary: The above article content is the complete collection of Lantern Festival customs that the editor wants to introduce to readers. The content is very comprehensive for your reference. I hope it can popularize the knowledge of traditional festival culture for everyone!

After reading this article, there are more exciting content in the Spring Festival special topic, let’s take a look!

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