The Lantern Festival, which has spread since the Western Han Dynasty, has attracted millions of people to watch it.

Xin Qiji, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, wrote in Yuan Yu Case: "Thousands of trees bloom in the east wind night, and the stars are like rain. BMW carved cars are full of incense. Phoenix flute, jade pot, fish dance all night ... "

This word describes the night of the fifteenth day of the first month in Lin 'an (Hangzhou), the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. The whole city is brightly lit, and both monarchs and ministers are immersed in the festive atmosphere. Gorgeous wording, exquisite description, and complex emotions implied between the lines make the eagle unforgettable even today after reading it.

What makes people sigh is that with the changes of the times, in the new century, even if we have searched all provinces and cities in China, it is difficult to witness the grand occasion of Shangyuan Festival written by Xin Qiji. ...

Recently, I accidentally saw some photos of the annual Lantern Festival organized by Kaifeng Long Ting, Tian Bo yangfu and other scenic spots on WeChat. A classmate from Kaifeng once lived in the same dormitory. The vivid scene in the photo immediately aroused the eagle's curiosity.

First, the origin of Shangyuan Festival, why is it called Shangyuan Festival?

Shangyuan Festival, the 15th day of the first lunar month, is the first full moon night of the China Lunar New Year and the first traditional festival after the Spring Festival. According to our traditional folk customs, on this night, people will light lanterns, go out to enjoy the moon, light and set fire, and like to guess riddles on lanterns and eat Yuanxiao, so it is also called Lantern Festival.

According to historical records, Shangyuan Festival originated in the Western Han Dynasty. At first, offering sacrifices to immortals and decorating lanterns were the main festival features of Shangyuan Festival. However, there are still many different views on the origin of Shangyuan Festival. Among them, there are several popular sayings, such as "commemorating Pinglu", "Emperor Wu offered sacrifices to Taiyi God" and "Taoist Sanyuan". The eagle intercepts the first two sentences here and briefly introduces them:

The first argument is that the day when Emperor Wendi put down the rebellion in Lv Hou happened to be the 15th day of the first month. Emperor Wen, who loves the people as much as his life, feels that peace and prosperity are hard-won, so whenever this night comes, he will go on a patrol incognito, not only to experience the sufferings of the people, but also to have fun with them. After a long time, the fifteenth day of the first month is naturally designated as Shangyuan Festival.

The second argument originated from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the grandson of Emperor Wen. In the Han Dynasty and the pre-Qin period, people believed in Taiyi God, which represented the vitality of the universe and stars. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attached great importance to the activities of offering sacrifices to Taiyi God in the first month of each year. Whenever the sacrificial activities begin, they will celebrate all night and will last until dawn. Over time, the custom of decorating the fifteenth day of the first month with lanterns was formed.

Second, the inheritance of Shangyuan Lantern Festival, how lively is Shangyuan Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty?

With the further development of society, in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, nearly 50 years of war began to subside, and the seeds of capitalism also rose. The festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival is more spectacular and lasting, and the grand occasion of the Lantern Festival has reached a new level. It is said that the celebration of Shangyuan Festival at that time could even last from the 14th to the 18th of the first month.

Kaifeng, as the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, was one of the few mega-cities with a population of one million in the world at that time, and it became the biggest carnival in the whole capital during the Shangyuan Festival.

According to Meng Yue, a writer at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, in his book "Tokyo Chinese Dream", "On the fifteenth day of the first month, after the winter solstice, Kaifeng Prefecture set up a mountain shed, which was not in front of Xuande Building. Visitors have gathered under the two corridors of Yujie Street, with different skills, singing and dancing, tangling, making noise for more than ten miles, playing marbles and pedaling. " This shows that the whole Kaifeng city is brightly lit all night when the Shangyuan Festival comes.

The third is the continuation of Shangyuan Lantern Festival and the grand occasion of Kaifeng Lantern Festival during the Spring Festival.

After the founding of New China, Kaifeng, as the capital of Northern Song Dynasty, inherited the grand occasion of Shangyuan Lantern Festival in Kaifeng. Whenever the Lantern Festival comes, Long Ting, Tian Bo western-style clothes, iron tower and other scenic spots will combine their own palace culture, Yang Jiajiang culture and folk culture to launch interactive performing arts activities such as people entering the palace, iron-blooded loyal soul Yang Jiajiang, lantern festival for thousands of people, boating parade on Yu He River, praying for lanterns, solving riddles and free goods Lantern Festival.

Entering the Longting, you are greeted by crowds and colorful lanterns. A little festive atmosphere is faintly revealed in the noise, so that the wanderers from afar can throw away all the reserve and restraint in an instant and quickly integrate into it.

Compared with other scenic spots, the most impressive thing about Long Ting's lantern show is that it boldly pursues fashion and novelty, and keeps up with the hot spots of the times, in addition to the traditional colorful lights such as the god of wealth, the blessing god and the cute baby. For example, the straw hat gang in One Piece, Po, and Xiong Er in Bears, with vivid cartoon images, allow visitors of all ages to find their favorite parts.

Along the river bank near Long Ting, while admiring the beautiful lanterns, we walked to Tian Bo Yangfu, another main venue of Shangyuan Lantern Festival. Different from Longting, the lanterns in Yangfu are mainly based on Yang Jiajiang culture, such as the cartoon image "Winter Love Song" of Yangmen female general Mu, which greatly highlights the happy atmosphere of "Yangfu House".

As time goes by, the night gets deeper and deeper, but brightly decorated lanterns still seem to bloom with a happy atmosphere. In the middle of winter, the bright night sky and the colorful "light and shadow world" will inevitably add a touch of bright spring to the festive and reunion Spring Festival.