The Origin and Implication of Lantern Festival

Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Lantern Festival, Lantern Festival or Lantern Festival, falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year. The following is the origin and significance of the Lantern Festival. Welcome to share.

The Origin and Implication of Lantern Festival

1. China Since ancient times, the first month of the lunar calendar has become "January" and the night of the full moon has become "night", so the fifteenth day of the first month has become the Lantern Festival. Since then, it has continued until the Spring Festival. People celebrate in various ways and pray for a good weather in the new year, so it has become the "Shangyuan Festival".

As a traditional food, Yuanxiao has a long history in China. In the Song Dynasty, the custom of eating Yuanxiao was very popular. At that time, it was called "Floating Zi Yuan", and later generations became "Yuanxiao", also called "Tangyuan". Rich fillings such as peanuts, sesame seeds, sweet-scented osmanthus, red dates, nuts, etc., wrapped in glutinous rice flour, can be eaten in a variety of ways, such as meat and vegetables, cooking and frying, which means reunion and happiness.

There are many legends about eating Yuanxiao. Let me tell you two interesting stories.

One of the legends is said to be the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. There is a maid-in-waiting named Yuanxiao in the palace. This woman can't see her parents at home for a long time because she misses her family all day. Dong Fangshuo, a minister, sympathized with the maid-in-waiting and decided to help her, so he told Emperor Wu that the Jade Emperor would send Vulcan to burn Chang 'an on the 15th day of the first month. In order to escape this robbery, Yuanxiao girl needs to pack some jiaozi on this day, because Vulcan likes to eat, and all the subjects in Chang 'an decorate lanterns to worship Vulcan. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to play, so the Lantern Festival girl met her family. Since then, the fifteenth day of the first month has been called "Lantern Festival", and it has been handed down to eat Yuanxiao on this day.

4. According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, on the fifteenth day of the first month, King Zhao of Chu passed by the Yangtze River and saw some floating food, which was a white dessert with stuffing, so he asked Confucius, who said that this kind of food was white outside and red inside, which was a sign of revival. King Chu Zhao was overjoyed. Since then, every year on the fifteenth day of the first month, he ordered his subjects to imitate this food. Since then, there has been the custom of eating Yuanxiao on the Lantern Festival.

Although Yuanxiao has a good meaning and taste, it is not suitable for eating more. Glutinous rice is high, especially for children and the elderly, and its digestive system is weak. Eating too much can cause stomach acid, heartburn and other discomfort. Yuanxiao is a high-calorie and sugary food. You'd better have some soup after eating and don't go to bed right away. You can have a rest after proper activities.

6. In short, on the fifteenth day of the first month of every year, every household should eat a bowl of hot Yuanxiao. On this day, every household should decorate with lanterns, and children should choose lanterns, visit temple fairs, watch lanterns, walk on stilts and dance lions. It's so noisy, and it's the last carnival after the Spring Festival. After this day, people will work hard in the new year, so this day should be celebrated to express their hope for a better life in the new year.

Legend of the lantern festival

Legend of lamp

Legend has it that a long time ago, there were many fierce birds and beasts everywhere that hurt people and livestock, so people organized to defeat them. A god bird was trapped and landed on the earth, but was accidentally shot by an unsuspecting hunter. The Emperor of Heaven was very angry when he learned that. He immediately issued a decree, ordering the heavenly soldiers to set fire to the land on the fifteenth day of the first month, burning all the people, livestock and property. The daughter of the Emperor of Heaven is kind-hearted. She couldn't bear to see the innocent suffering of the people, so she risked her life and secretly rushed Xiangyun to the world to tell people the news. When people heard the news, it was like a blow to the head. I'm so scared that I don't know what to do. After a long time, an old man came up with an idea. He said: "On the 14th, 15th and 16th of the first month, every family decorated their houses, set off firecrackers and set off fireworks. In this way, the emperor will think that people have been burned to death. "

Everyone nodded and said yes, and they were ready to go separately. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, the emperor looked down and found that for three consecutive nights, the world was red and the noise was deafening. He thought it was the flame of a big fire, and soon. In this way, people saved their lives and property. In order to commemorate this success, every household hangs lanterns and sets off fireworks on the fifteenth day of the first month to commemorate this day.

Another legend is that when Emperor Wen of Han commemorated Pinglu, the Lantern Festival was set up to commemorate Pinglu. After the death of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, Lv Hou's son Liu Ying became Emperor Hui of Han Dynasty. Hui Di was born weak and indecisive, and power gradually fell into the hands of Lv Hou. After the death of Emperor Hui of Han Dynasty, he monopolized the state affairs and turned Liu's world into Lu's. Senior officials in the DPRK and Liu Zongshi were deeply indignant at this, but they were afraid of cruelty and dared not tell anyone.

After Lv Hou's death, Zhu Lu has been in a state of anxiety, afraid of being hurt and excluded. So, in the general's home, they secretly assembled and plotted to make trouble in order to completely seize Liu's country.

This incident reached the ears of Liu Nang, the king of the Liu clan. In order to protect Liu Jiangshan, Liu Nang decided to attack Zhu Lu, and got in touch with the founding fathers to make a plot. The "Zhu-Lu Rebellion" was finally completely put down.

After the rebellion, the ministers made Liu Heng, the second son of Liu Bang, the Chinese Emperor. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Emperor Wen designated the 15th day of the first month of the first month, when the "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was put down, as a day to have fun with the people, and every household in Beijing celebrated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Since then, the fifteenth day of the first month has become a popular folk festival-"Lantern Festival".

Dong Fangshuo and Yuanxiao Girl

This legend is related to the custom of eating Yuanxiao: According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favorite named Dong Fangshuo, who was kind and funny. One winter, it snowed heavily for several days, and Dong Fangshuo went to the Imperial Garden to fold plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as I entered the garden gate, I found a maid-in-waiting in tears ready to throw herself into the well. Dong Fangshuo rushed forward to help and asked her why she committed suicide. It turns out that this maid-in-waiting is named Yuanxiao, and there are parents and a sister at home. She has never seen her family since she entered the palace. Every spring comes, I miss my family more than usual. I think in front of my parents, I would rather die than be filial. Dong Fangshuo expressed deep sympathy for her suffering and assured her that she would try her best to reunite with her family.

One day, Dong Fangshuo left the palace and set up a divination pavilion on Chang 'an Avenue. Many people are scrambling to find him for divination. Unexpectedly, what everyone wants is the signature of "burning us on the 16th day of the first month". Suddenly, there was a panic in Chang 'an. People are looking for a solution to the disaster. Dong Fangshuo said, "On the 13th night of the first month, Vulcan will send a goddess in red to visit the earth. She is the messenger who ordered the burning of Chang 'an. I'll give you the copied poem and let the emperor do something. " Say that finish, then dropped a red pillar and roared off. The people picked up the red post and quickly sent it to the palace to report to the emperor.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took it and read: "Chang 'an is robbing, and the imperial palace is being burned. It has been burning for fifteen days, and the midnight snack is red." He was so scared that he hurriedly invited resourceful Dong Fangshuo. Dong Fangshuo thought for a moment and said, "I heard that Vulcan likes to eat dumplings. Don't Yuanxiao in the palace often make dumplings for you? Let Yuanxiao package jiaozi on 15th night. Long live the incense and offerings, and order every family in Kyoto to pack jiaozi and worship Vulcan together. Then tell the subjects to hang lights together on the fifteenth night and set off firecrackers and fireworks all over the city, as if the whole city were on fire, so that the jade emperor could be fooled. In addition, the people outside the city were informed that they would go to the city to watch the lights on the fifteenth night, and they would eliminate disasters and solve problems in the crowd. Liang Wudi was very happy after hearing this, so he ordered him to do it according to Dong Fangshuo's method.

On the fifteenth day of the first month, Chang 'an City was decorated with colorful lights, crowded with tourists and very lively. The parents of the maid-in-waiting Yuanxiao also took their sister to the city to see the lights. When they saw the big palace lantern with the words "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao! Lantern Festival! " When Yuanxiao heard the shouts, she was finally reunited with her relatives at home.

After such a busy night, Chang 'an was safe. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed and ordered that glutinous rice balls should be made for Vulcan every year on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of the first month, the whole city was decorated with lanterns and set off fireworks. Because jiaozi cooked by Yuanxiao is the best, people call it Yuanxiao, and this day is called Lantern Festival.

eat yuanxiao

Eating Yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the first month, as a kind of food, has a long history in China. In the Song Dynasty, a novel Lantern Festival food was popular among the people. This kind of food was originally called "Floating Zi Yuan", later called "Yuanxiao", and merchants also called it "Yuanbao". Yuanxiao, or "Tangyuan", contains sugar, roses, sesame seeds, red bean paste, cinnamon bark, walnut kernel, nuts, jujube paste and so on. And wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a circle, you can be vegetarian and have different flavors. It can be boiled, fried and steamed, which means happy reunion. Jiaozi, Shaanxi is not wrapped, but "rolled" in glutinous rice flour, or boiled or fried, warm and round.

Sightseeing lamp

During the Yong Ping period of Han Dynasty (AD 58-75), when Ming Chengzu advocated Buddhism, it coincided with Cai Cheng's return from India to seek Buddhism, saying that it was the fifteenth day of the first month of Mohato, India, and monks gathered to pay tribute to the relics, which was an auspicious day to participate in Buddhism. In order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Hanming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in palaces and temples on the fifteenth night of the first month. Since then, the custom of putting lights on the Lantern Festival has spread from being held only in the court to the people. That is, on the fifteenth day of the first month, both the gentry and the people hang up lights, and the urban and rural areas are brightly lit all night.

The custom of setting off lanterns during the Lantern Festival developed into an unprecedented lantern market in the Tang Dynasty. Chang 'an, the capital at that time, was already the largest city with a population of one million in the world, and its society was rich. Under the personal initiative of the emperor, the Lantern Festival became more and more luxurious. After the middle Tang Dynasty, it has developed into a national carnival. In the prosperous period of the Tang Xuanzong Kaiyuan (685-762 AD), the lantern market in Chang 'an was very large, with 50,000 lanterns and all kinds of lanterns. The emperor ordered 20 giant lantern buildings with a height of 150 feet, resplendent and magnificent.

The Lantern Festival in Song Dynasty is superior to that in Tang Dynasty in scale and dreamy lighting, with more folk activities and stronger national characteristics. Since then, the Lantern Festival has continued to develop and the time of the Lantern Festival has become longer and longer. The Lantern Festival in Tang Dynasty is "the day before and after Shangyuan". In the Song Dynasty, two days were added after the 16th, and in the Ming Dynasty, it was extended from the 8th to 18th to ten days.

In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu entered the Central Plains, and the court no longer held lantern festivals, but the folk lantern festivals were still spectacular. The date was shortened to five days and continues to this day.

In Taiwan Province Province, lanterns have the meaning of light and elegance, and lighting them means lighting up the future. The homonym of Taiwan Province Lantern and En stands for having a boy. So in the past, women would deliberately wander under lanterns, hoping to "drill under lanterns to lay eggs" (that is, swim under lanterns to give birth to boys).