Shanghai Lantern Festival Customs

The Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Xiaozhengmu, Yuanxi or Lantern Festival, is one of the traditional festivals in China. The 15th day of the first month of the year is the first night of the full moon, so the 15th day of the first month of the year is called the "Lantern Festival". The following is an introduction to Shanghai Lantern Festival customs

1. Eating Tangyuan

Like other places, Shanghai people eat Tangyuan on the Lantern Festival.

Soup dumplings are the specialties of the Lantern Festival, generally composed of glutinous rice skin and inner filling, rich in nutrients, which can nourish the spleen and stomach, nourish the qi and blood, and help to protect the body from the cold. Glutinous rice is sweet and warm, rich in protein, fat, sugar, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B and starch, is a mild tonic, can warm the spleen and stomach, tonic Qi, and has a certain astringent effect, on the spleen and stomach cold, diarrhea, frequent urination, spontaneous sweating and so on have a very good therapeutic effect. However, glutinous rice sticky, difficult to digest, should be heated and eat, and can not eat too much at a time. In addition, damp-heat phlegm fire prevalent, or fever, cough phlegm yellow, constipation and abdominal distension and other symptoms, should avoid eating glutinous rice.

Warm tips:

Freshly cooked dumplings, the inner filling is hotter than the outer skin, it is recommended to eat small bites, not only to avoid the oral cavity and esophageal mucosa burns, but also chewing and slow swallowing is also conducive to digestion.

Drinking some soup while eating the dumplings can promote digestion and absorption.

In order to reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, after eating dumplings, it is best to move around for more than 2 hours before going to bed.

2. Lantern Appreciation

The custom of Lantern Appreciation at Lantern Festival emerged in the Han Dynasty. According to legend, Liu Pi, the nephew of Liu Bang, Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, introduced the culture of Yangzhou Lantern Festival into the Songjiang area of Shanghai for his own amusement. Since then, this custom has become popular in Shanghai. During the Lantern Festival, men, women and children come from all over the city, and all kinds of lanterns compete with each other, and everywhere is full of color.

The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional festive customs of the Lantern Festival, and in Ala Shanghai, the Yuyuan Lantern Festival has been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects, and every year the Lantern Festival leaves wonderful memories for Shanghai residents and tourists from all over the world.

Warm tips:

The weather is still cold during the Lantern Festival, so pay attention to warmth during the Lantern Festival, and take protective measures, wear a good mask outside, and wash your hands in time after returning home.

3. Guessing riddles

Guessing riddles is also a characteristic folklore of the Lantern Festival, which is very popular among people. From a medical point of view, guessing lantern riddles is a kind of brain-healthy activity, which is conducive to slowing down the aging of the brain and preventing the occurrence of cognitive disorders.

Lantern riddles on the Lantern Festival can not only enlighten wisdom and knowledge, but also entertain and educate, and set a festive mood.