What is the Lantern Festival scene described in The Longest Day in Chang 'an?

Although the longest day in the whole story of Chang 'an is only 24 hours, it gives us a vivid picture of life in the Tang Dynasty. Judging from the first picture, the first line and the first subtitle of the play, Chang 'an people, decent villains and outsiders are everywhere, although their purposes are different. However, they all made full preparations for the upcoming Lantern Festival: the people rushed to see the Lantern Festival, the wolf guards took the opportunity to create chaos, the unscrupulous Zhang Xiaojing was pressing hard, and Jing' an Company wanted to protect Chang' an and catch the real murderer ... 8760 hours a year. Why is there such a big difference between the twelve hours on the Yuan Festival? This should start with the festival itself.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, we used to call it the Lantern Festival. As the first full moon night of the New Year, many folk customs have been formed since ancient times. On this day, from evening to night, people enjoy the moon in Yue Bai, light lanterns, cross bridges and run into difficulties, so as to stay away from all diseases, drive away evil and pray for a good year. Most of these customs are closely related to lanterns and the origin of Shangyuan Festival.

Shangyuan Festival is in the slack season after the New Year, the rain and snow gradually melt, and most parts of the country begin to reveal the breath of spring. From the first day to the fifteenth day, people are busy with the Spring Festival, which is also the last leisure time before entering the spring ploughing. After the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, life entered a state of cycle, day after day.

Written in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it is recorded in Jingchu Chronicle:

"On the fifteenth day of the first month, do red bean paste, come on, be a master. First, the poplar branches were inserted in the door, and according to the poplar branches, they were still sacrificed with preserved wine and bean porridge. Welcome to Zigu at night to predict the future sericulture and occupy all the affairs. "

In this description, there are two kinds of blessing ceremonies related to farming. The first is to smear porridge boiled with beans and ointment on doors and windows, and then insert poplar branches to pray for the prosperity of the portal, avoid rodents and harvest crops; The second is to offer sacrifices to the Valley of the Silkworm God and bless the agriculture and mulberry. At this time, people will also participate in activities and parties to prepare various items for farming.

Although the fifteenth day of the first month, as a folk custom, existed earlier than as a festival. According to documents, it is generally believed that Shangyuan Festival originated in the Han Dynasty. "Historical Records" says: "People in Bohai dare not play the ceremony of worshipping Taiyi God". Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty not only followed the advice of the alchemist to build a shrine, but also stipulated that a grand light sacrifice ceremony would be held from dusk to midnight on the fifteenth day of the first month of each year. Moreover, the Han system also stipulated that it was difficult to take charge of the departments outside the palace, and Xiao Xun called for the prohibition of night walking. Only Yuan, Yuan and Yuan spent the night before and after each night.

In other words, Jin Wu, which is in charge of controlling the curfew, has a three-day holiday from January 14th to January 16th, allowing people to move freely. Through this move, the fifteenth day of the first month gradually changed from a folk custom of simply praying for farming to a festival celebrated by the whole country.

Shangyuan is the most important festival in Sanyuan. Since the Sui Dynasty, on the fifteenth day of the first month, the government has held activities such as burning lanterns, worshipping and praying for blessings to the people. In the Tang Dynasty, the activity of burning lanterns further developed and became an important link in the blessing ceremony. At night, Chang 'an is carefree and the palace is brightly lit.

In addition to Taoism, the Buddhist Lantern Festival also makes the Lantern Festival "Lantern Festival" gradually large-scale. Emperor Han Ming once ordered "lighting lamps to show Buddha" in palaces and temples on the 15th day of the first month. The first day and fifteenth day are important festivals in Buddhism, which are easily combined with folk customs. In the Tang Dynasty, it became a custom to celebrate the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month. The poet Zhang Jie wrote the poem "Jianyuan Temple Lantern Festival is a master of Zhitong":

"The building can't see lanterns, and the cloister is full of fire. Zhu Yu threw the giant Buddha at random, and then made a deep bow to the monks in the distant mountains. Writing in the breeze is a blessing, and going to a small meditation can be accompanied. I can't stay in infinity, and the moonlight shines in the west. "