What are the three most common origins of Lantern Festival?

The three most common origins are the origin of Buddhist festivals, the origin of Taoist festivals and the origin of the sacrifice of Taiyi God. Here are three origins in detail.

1, the origin of Buddhist festivals

According to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, "According to legend, Ming Di spent the night in the Nangong, dreaming that the Golden Man had grown up and had a bright roof to ask his ministers. Or: there is a god in the west named Buddha, who is six feet long and golden. "

Emperor Han Ming of East China advocated Buddhism. He heard that in Mohe Tuoguo, India, on the fifteenth day of the first month, monks gathered together to worship the Buddhist relics and burn lanterns for the Buddha, so he ordered that lanterns be burned for the Buddha in palaces and temples on the fifteenth day of the first month, so that all clans and ordinary people could hang lanterns, which has become a custom ever since.

According to "Biography of Monks in Han Dynasty", "December 30th in the Western Regions is the hope of China in the first month, which is called" Shennong changed the moon ". Emperor Hanming ordered the lights to be lit to show the clarity of Buddhism. "

2. The origin of Taoist festivals.

The fifteenth day of the first month is the Shangyuan Festival in Taoist culture. The reason why it is called Shangyuan Festival stems from the "ternary theory" of Taoism. The Taoist Scripture "Seven Signs of Clouds" says: "After the husband is divided into chaos, there must be three elements of heaven, earth and water, and then adults will raise everything."

3. The theory of the origin of Taiyi God's sacrifice.

Lantern Festival originated from the custom of offering sacrifices to Taiyi God in Han Dynasty. Taiyi, also known as "Taiyi", is an ancient god and ranks among the immortals. He is in charge of nine dragons and has the ability to master the good and bad on the earth, including drought, flood, famine and plague. As a big agricultural country, ancient China naturally believed in one god for the sake of national prosperity and national security. According to legend, since Qin Shihuang, a grand ceremony has been held every year to pray to Taiyi God for good weather, good health and long life. Especially in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, Lantern Festival was designated as one of the most important festivals.