What is the origin and custom of Lantern Festival?

Since the custom of decorating lanterns on the Lantern Festival came into being, it is a great event to watch lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month in all dynasties. Emperor Wen of Liang Jian once wrote a poem "Li Edeng Fu": "The south is full of oil, and the west is full of paint. Su Zheng is resting in peace, and the wax comes out of Longchuan. " Oblique light sets each other off, and the reflection is clear. "It depicts the grand occasion of the court decorating lanterns during the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Yang Di, a grand banquet was held every year on the 15th day of the first month to entertain guests and envoys from all over the world. According to the Records of Music in Sui Shu, the Lantern Festival is very grand, with lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere, singing and dancing day and night, with more than 30,000 performers and more than 0.8 million musicians. The stage is eight miles long, and countless people are watching lanterns, staying up all night, enjoying themselves and being very lively. In the Tang dynasty, it developed into an unprecedented lantern market, and 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. In the Tang dynasty, a curfew was imposed, and it was forbidden to travel when drums were banned at night. Those who committed crimes at night were punished. Only on the Lantern Festival did the emperor grant a three-day ban, which was called "letting the night go". In the Song Dynasty, lanterns were extended from three nights to five nights. In addition to lanterns, fireworks were set off, and various juggling performances were held, making the scene more lively. "Tokyo Dream" records that during the Lantern Festival, on the Imperial Street in Kaifeng, 10,000 lanterns piled up into a lantern mountain, and the lanterns were fireworks, resplendent and magnificent. The girls in Kyoto are singing and dancing, and people are watching. "Tourists gathered under the two colonnades of the Imperial Street, with unique skills, singing and dancing, tangent scales and noisy music, stretching for more than ten miles." Streets and alleys, teahouses and restaurants, lights and candles are burning together, gongs and drums are loud, firecrackers are ringing, and hundreds of miles of lights are on.

In the Ming Dynasty, after Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne in Jinling, in order to make the capital prosperous and lively, he also stipulated that the lights should be turned off on the eighth day of the first month and on the seventeenth day for ten consecutive nights. All kinds of figures are depicted on lanterns, dancing, birds flying, dragons dancing, lanterns and fireworks shining all night, drums and music ringing, which is the longest Lantern Festival in China. In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu entered the Central Plains. The date was shortened to five days and continues to this day.

Solve riddles; solve lantern riddles; guess riddles on hanging lanterns

"Lantern riddle", also known as "playing riddles", is an added activity after the Lantern Festival. Lantern riddles first developed from riddles and originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. This is a literary game full of ridicule, discipline, humor and banter. Lantern riddles hung on lanterns for people to guess and shoot began in the Southern Song Dynasty. "Old Things in Wulin: Lights" records: "People make poems with silk lanterns, laugh at them, draw characters, hide their heads and slang, and tease pedestrians." Lantern Festival, the imperial city stays up all night, and the Lantern Festival is enjoyed in spring. People are mixed. Poems and riddles are written on lanterns, reflected on candles and listed on the road, so people can guess, so they are called "riddles". Because riddles are enlightening and interesting, they are welcomed by all walks of life in the process of communication.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, various acrobatic skills began to appear in the lantern market. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, besides riddles and hundreds of operas, there were also opera performances.

In addition to visiting the lantern market, people in the past dynasties also had customs such as welcoming children to visit Ce Shen, crossing the bridge and touching nails to walk away from all diseases, and playing games such as Taiping Drum, Yangko, stilts, dragon dance and lion dance.

Lantern Festival in traditional society is a folk festival that both urban and rural areas attach importance to. It is particularly lively in the city, which embodies the unique carnival spirit of China people. The traditional Lantern Festival's function of festival customs has been dispelled by daily life, and people have gradually lost their spiritual interest. The complicated holiday custom is simplified to the eating custom of "eating Yuanxiao".

Play with dragon lanterns

Playing dragon lanterns, also known as dragon lanterns or dragon dancing. Its origin can be traced back to ancient times. Legend has it that as early as the Yellow Emperor, in a large-scale song and dance in the suburbs of Qing Dynasty, there was a leading bird image played by a man, and then a dance scene with six dragons interspersed with each other was arranged. The dragon dance recorded in writing is Zhang Heng's Xijing Fu in Han Dynasty. The author vividly described the dragon dance in the descriptions of hundreds of plays. According to the records in Sui Shu Le, Huanglongbian, which was similar to the dragon dance performance in one hundred plays in Yang Di period, was also very wonderful, and dragon dance was very popular in many places in China. The Chinese nation advocates dragons and regards them as auspicious symbols. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica said: "The dragon has nine shapes: the body is like a snake, the face is like a horse, the horns are like deer, the eyes are like rabbits, the ears are like cows, the abdomen is like storks, the scales are like carp, the claws are like eagles, and the palms are like tigers." In the eyes of the ancients, dragons have the functions of calling for rain and eliminating disasters and epidemics. China has been founded by agriculture since ancient times, and good weather is of great significance to production and life. Therefore, the ancients strongly hoped for the protection of dragons, thus forming the custom of offering sacrifices to dragons and lanterns during the Lantern Festival. In the Song Dynasty, Wu's Dream recorded that on the night of the Lantern Festival, "the grass was tied into a dragon, covered with a green curtain, and thousands of candles were densely placed, looking like a double dragon flying away." In the long-term development and evolution, dragon dance has also formed many different styles, mainly dragon lanterns and cloth dragons. Dragon lantern, also known as "dragon", is the most popular dragon dance. This kind of dragon is made of bamboo and tied into a dragon head, a dragon body and a dragon tail, wrapped in paper and painted with color. There are many knots in the dragon body, and the number of knots can be more or less; But it must be singular. Candles per node; In some places, candles are not lit, but "oil twists" made of tung oil, cotton yarn or rushes. The burning power of this kind of oil twist is very lasting. When the dragon lantern dances, it is colorful and never goes out. There is a wooden handle below for dancers to hold. There is also a person holding a red silk bead to direct the dragon dance in front of the dragon. For example, in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, the "carp and fish dragon" is flexible, skillful and good at change. Dragon dancers wear retractable carp skin. At first, the audience saw the fish swimming in the water, but with the cheerful music, the fish suddenly turned into a dragon, and then a fire-breathing carp jumped over the dragon, symbolizing the meaning of "carp yue longmen". Bulong, also known as the "colorful dragon", mainly performs during the day, and no candles are lit during the festival, so the performance is flying and jubilant, as if the sea and the sea are choppy, with extraordinary momentum, grandeur and uniqueness. When dancing the dragon, it shows that the dragon is hovering and jubilant, and the action is very complicated. In some places, the Lantern Festival is very lively, with more than 100 dragon lanterns and a team of two or three miles long. Each dragon lantern is equipped with ten gongs and drums, which is very spectacular. Overseas, many Chinese communities still retain the ancient tradition of playing dragon lanterns and often perform for local festivals.

Walking on stilts and dancing lions.

Walking on stilts is a popular folk performance. Stilts originally belonged to one of the hundred ancient operas in China, which appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. In China, stilts first appeared in Liezi Fu Shuo: "Those who had orchids in the Song Dynasty used their skills to dry the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Summoned in the Song and Yuan Dynasties to see their skills. There are two branches twice as long as its body, belonging to its shin, which go hand in hand, making the seven swords overlap and jump. The five swords were always in the air, and Yuan Jun was frightened and gave them gold and silk. " As can be seen from the article, stilts have been popular as early as 500 BC. Performers can not only walk with long wood tied to their feet, but also jump and dance swords. Stilts are divided into three types: stilts, middle stilts and running stilts, with the highest being more than ten feet. According to ancient records, ancient stilts were all made of wood. Make a support point in the middle of the planed wooden stick to put your feet, and then tie it to your legs with a rope. Performers can dance swords, splits, stools, cross tables and yangko when walking on stilts. In the northern stilt yangko, there are fishermen, matchmakers, silly sons, second brothers, Taoist priests and monks. The performer's funny performance can arouse the audience's great interest. In the south, stilts play the role of traditional operas, including Guan Gong, Zhang Fei, Lv Dongbin, He Xiangu, Zhang Sheng, matchmaker, Jigong, immortal and clown. They sang while performing, making fun and entertaining themselves. It is said that this form of walking on stilts was originally developed by ancient people in order to collect wild fruits from trees for food and tie two long sticks to their legs.

Lion dance is an excellent folk art in China. Every Lantern Festival or assembly celebration, people come to the lion dance for entertainment. This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period and was popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of 1000 years. According to legend, it was first introduced from the western regions, and the lion was the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva. As Buddhism was introduced into China, lion dance was also introduced into China. The lion is a tribute brought back with the peacock after Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions. However, the skill of lion dance originated from Xiliang's "masked play". Some people think that lion dance originated from the army in the fifth century and was later introduced to the people. Both statements have their own basis, and it is difficult to judge whether they are right or wrong today. However, in the Tang Dynasty, lion dance has become a popular activity in the court, the army and the people. Tang Duanan Festival "Yuefu Miscellaneous Search" said: "There are five lions in the play, more than ten feet high, each with five colors. Each lion has 12 people, wearing red stripes, wearing clothes and painting clothes, and holding red pens. They are called lion lang and dance Taiping music. " The poet Bai Juyi described it vividly in his poem "West Cool Geisha": "West Cool Geisha, West Cool Geisha, Masked Hu Ren, False Lion. Wood carvings at the head and tail, gold-plated eyes and silver teeth. Fenxun sweaters have ears, such as coming to Wan Li from quicksand. " This poem describes the scene of lion dance at that time.

In the development of 1000 years, lion dance has formed two performance styles, north and south. The lion dance of the Northern School mainly performed the "Wushi", that is, the "Ruishi" appointed by Wei Wudi in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Little lions dance alone, while big lions dance in pairs. One stood and danced the lion's head, and the other bent down to dance the lion's body and tail. The lion dancer is covered with a lion quilt, wearing green lion pants and golden claw boots of the same color as the lion's body. People can't recognize the lion dancer's body, and its shape is very similar to that of a real lion. The lion guide dressed as an ancient warrior, holding a spinning hydrangea with Beijing gongs, drums and cymbals to tease the lion. Under the guidance of "Lion Lang", lions perform somersaults, jumps, climbs, bows down and other techniques, as well as some difficult movements such as walking plum blossom piles, jumping on tables and stepping on bowling balls. Shi Wen is the main performance of the Southern Lion Dance. When performing, it pays attention to expressions, such as scratching, shaking hair, licking hair and so on. Vivid and lovely, but also have difficult skills such as spitting the ball. South Lion, centered in Guangdong, is popular in Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia. Although the Southern Lion is also a duet, the lion dancers are all dressed in knickerbockers, and only a colorful lion is danced. Different from the lions in the north, "Lion Lang" wears a big head Buddha mask, a cassock, a ribbon around his waist and a sunflower fan in his hand to tease the lions, thus dancing all kinds of beautiful movements, which is ridiculous. There are many schools of southern lions, such as the lion with the head of a dog in Qingyuan and Yingde, the lion with a big head in Guangzhou and Foshan, the duck-billed lion in Gaohe and Zhongshan, and the unicorn lion in Dongguan. In addition to their different shapes, heather also has different personalities. The white beard lion dance method is not wide, and there are not many varieties of colors, but it is calm and powerful, and it is called "Liu Beishi" by the people. Known as the "Guan Gong Lion", the black-bearded red-faced lion dances bravely and fearlessly. Gray bearded lion, rough and belligerent, commonly known as "Zhang". The lion is the statue of all animals, and its image is majestic and martial, giving people a sense of majesty and bravery. The ancients regarded it as a symbol of courage and strength, and thought it could ward off evil spirits and keep people and animals safe. Therefore, people gradually formed the custom of dancing lions during the Lantern Festival and other major events, hoping for good luck and peace of life.

Dry boating

Rowing a dry boat, folklore is to commemorate Dayu who has made great contributions to water control. Rowing a dry boat, also known as running a dry boat, is an imitation of a boat on land, and the performers are mostly girls. Dry boat is not a real boat. It is made of two thin wooden boards, sawed into a boat shape, tied with bamboo and wood, covered with colored cloth and tied around the girl's waist, just like sitting on a boat, rowing with paddles in hand, singing and jumping while running. This is a dry ship. Sometimes, another man dressed as a boatman performs with his partners, mostly dressed as a clown, and amuses the audience with all kinds of funny actions. Dry boats are very popular in many areas of our country.

Sacrifice the door and family

There were "seven sacrifices" in ancient times, which were two of them. The method of sacrifice is to put poplar branches on the door, put a pair of chopsticks in a bowl filled with bean porridge, or put wine and meat directly in front of the door.

Mouse chase

This activity is mainly aimed at sericulture families. Because mice often eat silkworms in large areas at night, it is said that they can stop eating silkworms by feeding them rice porridge on the fifteenth day of the first month. As a result, these people cooked a large pot of sticky porridge on the fifteenth day of the first month, and some even covered it with a layer of meat. They put porridge in a bowl and put it on the ceiling, corner and mouth where mice haunt, cursing that mice will not die a natural death if they eat silkworm babies again.

Send a children's lamp.

Short for "sending lanterns", it is also called "sending lanterns", that is, before the Lantern Festival, the bride's family sends lanterns to the newly married daughter's house, or ordinary relatives and friends give them to the newly married infertile family to add auspiciousness, because "lamp" is homophonic with "Ding". This custom exists in many places. In Xi city, Shaanxi province, lanterns are put on from the eighth to the fifteenth day of the first month. In the first year, a pair of palace lanterns and a pair of stained glass lamps were presented. I hope my daughter will be lucky after marriage and have children early. If the daughter is pregnant, in addition to the big palace lantern, she should also send one or two small lanterns to wish her a safe pregnancy.

Yingzigu

Zigu is also called Gucci, and in the north she is called toilet aunt and pit aunt. The ancient folk custom is to offer sacrifices to Ce Shen Zigu on the 15th day of the first month, and to offer sacrifices to silkworm and mulberry, which shows many things. Legend has it that Zi Guyuan was a concubine and was envied by her eldest daughter. On the fifteenth day of the first month, he was killed in the toilet and became Ce Shen. So most people make Zigu into the shape of a woman and greet it in the pigsty in the toilet at night. This custom is popular in the north and south, and it was recorded as early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Walking sickness

Also known as "Wandering All Diseases", "Eliminating All Diseases" and "Walking on the Bridge", it is an activity to eliminate disasters and pray for blessings. On the Lantern Festival night, women meet and go out together. When they see the bridge, they will cross it, thinking that this can cure diseases and prolong life.

Stealing vegetables festival

The Miao People's Vegetable Stealing Festival, which is popular in Ping Huang, Guizhou Province, is also held on the 15th day of the first lunar month. On this day of the festival, girls will steal other people's food in droves. It is forbidden to steal from your family or friends of the same sex, because stealing is related to their marriage. So his food is limited to cabbage, and the quantity is enough for everyone to eat a meal. Stealing vegetables is not afraid of being discovered, and people who are caught are not strange. Everyone put together delicious dishes and made a cabbage feast. It is said that whoever eats more will get the right person early. At the same time, the silkworms they raise are also the strongest and the silks they spit out are the best.

Bawu Festival

Bawu Festival is a traditional festival of Yi people, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. "Eighth Five-Year Plan" means "coming back from hunting". Found in Heihu residential area, a branch of Yi nationality in Heqing, Yunnan. At that time, this festival was originally a custom to celebrate the return from hunting, and there was no fixed festival. In the past, when people came back from hunting to clean up their prey, the animal's head was given to the hunting commander, the skin was given to the hunter and the meat was barbecued. In the meantime, the hunting action is reproduced around the fire. When the meat is cooked, share it with everyone. Later it gradually evolved into a fixed festival. During the festival, Bawu Dance is accompanied by a band consisting of twelve wooden drums, twelve thallium gongs and twelve suona (thirteen in leap years). Thirty-six young women were dressed in furs of tigers, leopards, bears, deer, tigers, rabbits and foxes, or with golden pheasants and feathers of various birds in their heads. Dressed as birds and beasts, they pushed around the fire and danced, showing the gestures of various animals and imitating the sounds of various animals. The hunter holds a crossbow or a steel fork to surround the "prey" and carries out various hideous hunting actions in the opposite direction of the "prey" rotation. During the festival, there will be dragon lanterns, lion lanterns and crane lanterns.