The Cultural Significance of Lantern Festival

After more than 100 years, the traditional festivals in China have been greatly eroded, and the Lantern Festival is no exception. In some contemporary metropolises, it seems that only eating glutinous rice balls is left in the Lantern Festival folklore. This is the sorrow of busy urbanites, because the Lantern Festival is still the most lively festival in a year in relatively leisurely small cities and villages.

In fact, the Lantern Festival is not an isolated festival, it is a part of the Spring Festival. To understand the significance of Lantern Festival, we have to put it in the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival, from the closing of New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, is a process in which people constantly expand their activities and interpersonal relationships. Pay New Year greetings to parents on the first day and the next day. In the future, we will gradually expand the scope of New Year greetings to ordinary relatives and friends. During this period, people's activities are limited to acquaintances. The fifth day is the fifth day, so farm work can start and shops can open. During this period, society began to function normally. On the fifteenth day of the first month, all members of society, regardless of sex, age, and age, joined in the festival activities. Therefore, the Lantern Festival has the significance of confirming the relationship between all members of society (including people who don't know each other).

Is the Lantern Festival really for the whole society? Carnival? Ancient women who were usually confined at home were free to go out and play. Of course, there are also some polite people who oppose this custom, such as Sima Guang in the Song Dynasty. At midnight snack, his wife was dressed up and ready to go out and enjoy the lights. Sima guang asked:? Light a lamp at home, why look out? ? The lady replied:? I also want to see tourists. ? Sima guang said:? Is anyone (me) a ghost? ! ? This is unreasonable. You can't let your wife watch him all year round, can you? Fortunately, society doesn't buy these proprietress's accounts, and most women still play. Lantern Festival allows people to have free entertainment, which is an export designed by ancient society for the overly strict etiquette system. Some young people took this opportunity to meet the right person. As Xin Qiji said:? In the crowd, I searched for her again and again in vain. When I suddenly turned my head, I found her there, dimly lit. ?

The main activity of Lantern Festival is mass entertainment, but its social and cultural significance is not just entertainment.

There are many religious activities on the fifteenth day of the first month, so pray for the blessing of the gods. Ancient people offered sacrifices to Taiyi (Taiyi) God, because he was the highest God and was in charge of human destiny. Sacrificing him can bring you a bumper harvest and peace. The ancients offered sacrifices to the land gods to bless the harvest of silkworms.

Yuanxiao is also a festival for seeking children. Lantern Festival was originally lit for objective needs, and activities must be lit at night. Later, for entertainment and appreciation, the lights were lit. However, it has a deeper meaning: praying for fertility. In the Song Dynasty, Chen Yuanliang's "Tales of Years Old", Volume XII "Stealing Lights", explained why people stole lights at the Lantern Festival at that time. A cloud stole a lamp, which is a good sign for a person. ? Here? Lights? Homophonic? Ding? , that is, men. In this way, stealing a lamp symbolizes giving birth to a son. In the same way, watching lanterns also means looking for children. Therefore, it is reasonable for ancient women to go out to watch lights for this reason. Until the Republic of China, it was customary to send lanterns to childless families everywhere, hoping that they would have more children. There were activities of touching doornails in Qing Dynasty. Nails, also homophonic? Ding? . People hope to have a son by touching the doornail. People in some areas also give jiaozi a symbolic meaning. In the Qing Dynasty, there was a custom in Chengdu to steal the glutinous rice balls provided by the shrine at midnight to obtain children. In the Qing Dynasty, people in Anlu, Hubei presented Yuanxiao to each other, including Yuanxiao as big as goose eggs. Women predict fertility by observing the cooking time of this kind of Yuanxiao.

Of course, in today's huge population pressure, it is rare for Yuanxiao to beg for children. Modern people have given jiaozi a new explanation, that is, sweet and sweet, round and round, symbolizing family reunion and happiness. This explanation is a bit dull, but it is in line with people's inner hopes. Lantern Festival has a new cultural significance.

Lantern Festival is developed in the continuous creation of the ancients, and it will certainly be developed in the re-creation of modern people.