The origin and meaning of the Lantern Festival (the magnificent legend of traditional Chinese festivals)

The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional Chinese festivals and the last festival of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Its origin can be traced back to a legend long ago. According to legend, a long time ago, there were ten suns in the sky. They took turns shining on the earth, making people live in darkness. People are living in dire straits and life is very difficult. So, a hero named Hou Yi stepped forward and shot down nine suns, saving people's lives. In order to commemorate Hou Yi's achievements, people will hold a grand celebration on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year. This is the origin of the Lantern Festival.

The meaning of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival has rich meanings. It not only represents reverence and gratitude to Hou Yi, but also symbolizes people's yearning and pursuit of a better life. The Lantern Festival is a festival of reunion, which symbolizes family harmony and unity. On this day, people will eat Lantern Festival, watch lanterns, guess lantern riddles with their families and spend a good time together. The Lantern Festival is also a blessing festival, where people pray for peace and happiness in the coming year. At the same time, the Lantern Festival is also a festival to convey love. People will give some small gifts to relatives and friends on this day to express their care and blessings for them.

How to celebrate the Lantern Festival

There are many ways to celebrate the Lantern Festival, among which the most distinctive one is lantern viewing. On the night of the Lantern Festival, people go to the streets or parks to watch various lanterns. These lanterns have different shapes, including animals, flowers, people, etc. They are colorful and dazzling. The most famous of them is the lantern, which is one of the most important symbols of the Lantern Festival. People will write auspicious meanings on lanterns, such as blessing, wealth, health, etc., hoping for success and happiness in the coming year. In addition, people also guess lantern riddles on the night of the Lantern Festival. This is an ancient game that can not only exercise intelligence but also enhance communication.

Traditional food of the Lantern Festival

The traditional food of the Lantern Festival is Yuanxiao, which is a spherical dessert made of glutinous rice. The process of making Yuanxiao is relatively complicated. First, the glutinous rice is soaked and ground into glutinous rice slurry, then the glutinous rice slurry is rolled into small balls, then various fillings are added, such as bean paste, sesame seeds, jujube paste, etc., and finally steamed. The shape of the Lantern Festival symbolizes reunion and completeness, and eating the Lantern Festival symbolizes family harmony and happiness. In addition, Yuanxiao also has another name called glutinous rice balls, because some people like to put Yuanxiao into hot soup to eat, which can increase the texture and taste of Yuanxiao.

Praying activities of the Lantern Festival

Praying activities of the Lantern Festival mainly include guessing lantern riddles and releasing sky lanterns. Guessing lantern riddles is one of the most popular activities during the Lantern Festival. People write some obscure clues on the riddles and then others guess the answers. Guessing lantern riddles can not only exercise intelligence, but also increase interaction and entertainment. Releasing sky lanterns is an ancient way of praying. People will write their prayers on paper lanterns, then light the paper lanterns and put them into the sky. The purpose of doing this is to hope that your wishes will be heard and realized by God.

End

The Lantern Festival is one of the most distinctive and magnificent festivals among traditional Chinese festivals. It not only has beautiful legends and rich meanings, but also has a variety of celebration methods and blessing activities. Whether it is admiring lanterns, guessing lantern riddles, eating Yuanxiao, or releasing sky lanterns, people express their yearning and pursuit for a better life. In this festival of reunion, people spend quality time with their families and pray for peace and happiness in the coming year. The Lantern Festival is not only the inheritance of traditional culture, but also the beautiful longing and hope in people's hearts.

Let us celebrate the Lantern Festival together and pray for a happy future!