Yuanxiao origin

The formation of Lantern Festival custom has a long process, and attention has been paid to the fifteenth day of the first month since the Western Han Dynasty. On the night of the first month, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty offered sacrifices to "Taiyi" in Ganquan Palace, which was regarded by later generations as the first sacrifice to the gods on the fifteenth day of the first month.

However, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month is indeed a folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties. The custom of burning lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month is related to the eastward spread of Buddhism. During the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism flourished.

Officials and ordinary people generally "burn lanterns to worship Buddha" on the fifteenth day of the first month, so Buddha lanterns are spread all over the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become a legal thing and has gradually become a folk custom. ?

Extended data:

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Lantern Festival and Lantern Festival. The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called night "night", so they called the fifteenth day of the first month "Lantern Festival".

Lantern Festival is one of the traditional festivals in China, Chinese character cultural circle and overseas Chinese. Lantern Festival mainly includes a series of traditional folk activities, such as watching lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, solve riddles on the lanterns and setting off fireworks.

In addition, in many places, traditional folk performances, such as playing dragon lanterns, playing lions, walking on stilts, boating, yangko dancing and playing Taiping drums, have all joined the Lantern Festival.