The origin of Lantern Festival?

The 15th day of the first lunar month is the traditional Lantern Festival in China. The first month is January, and the ancients called the night "Xiao". The fifteenth day is the first full moon night in a year, so the fifteenth day of the first month is called the Lantern Festival.

Lantern Festival, also known as the first lunar month, Lantern Festival or Lantern Festival, is the first important festival after the Spring Festival. Since the Han Dynasty, people have had the custom of displaying and appreciating lanterns on 1 month 15, so people call this day the Lantern Festival.

According to the folk tradition of our country, on the night of spring return, the moon hangs high in the sky and there are thousands of lights on the ground. People watch Yuanxiao, solve riddles on the lanterns, eat Yuanxiao and get together with their families, which fully embodies the cultural connotation of the Lantern Festival.

(A) the origin of the Lantern Festival

The origin of Lantern Festival is very ancient, which originated from ancient people using torches to exorcise evil spirits during festivals. This festival is a sacrifice to God. Because it was held at night, it was natural to light a fire, and later it gradually evolved into the Lantern Festival.

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which existed in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.

Lantern Festival began in the period of Emperor Han Ming in the East. Because Emperor Han Ming advocated Buddhism, it coincided with Cai Cheng's conversion from India to Buddhism. Cai Cheng said that on the fifteenth day of the first month in India, monks get together to worship the Buddhist relics, which is a good day for meditation.

For many years, Cai Cheng said that in India, on the 15th day of the first month of the first month, monks get together to pay homage to the Buddhist relics, which is 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. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the 15th night of the first month has gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

Since then, this Buddhist ceremonial festival has gradually expanded into a grand folk festival. The festival has experienced a development process from the court to the people, and from the Central Plains to the whole country.

In addition, there is a saying that the Lantern Festival originated from the Torch Festival. In the Han dynasty, people held torches in rural fields to drive away insects and wild animals, hoping to reduce pests and pray for a bumper harvest. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been in full swing. Tens of thousands of people took part in the song and dance, which lasted from dusk on the first day to dark the next day.

To this day, people in some areas in southwest China still use reeds or branches as torches on the 15th day of the first month, and hold high in groups to dance in fields or grain drying fields.

With the changes of society and times, the customs of Lantern Festival have changed greatly, but it is still a traditional folk festival in China.