When is the Lantern Festival?

The 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Lantern Festival, a traditional Chinese festival. The first month is the first month, the ancients called the night "night", and the fifteenth day is the first full moon of the year, so the first month of the fifteenth for the Lantern Festival. It is also known as the "Festival of the New Year". According to Chinese folk tradition, in the beginning of the year, the earth back to spring festival night, the sky bright moon hanging high, on the ground colorful lanterns people watching the lanterns, guessing riddles, eat the Lantern Festival family reunion, a happy and harmonious.

The Lantern Festival originated in the Han Dynasty, and is said to have been set up by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to commemorate the "Ping Lu". After the death of Liu Ying, Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty, Empress Lu usurped power and the Lu clan took control of the dynasty. After the death of Empress Lu, Zhou Bo, Chen Ping and others pacified her power and installed Liu Heng as Emperor Wen of Han. Since the day of the quelling of Lu was the fifteenth day of the first month, every year thereafter, Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty went out of the palace in a small dress on the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, and had fun with the people to commemorate the occasion. And the 15th day of the first month was designated as the Lantern Festival. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrifice of "Taiyi God" was held on the 15th day of the first month. Sima Qian listed the Lantern Festival as a major festival in the "Taichu Calendar".

China's folk custom of eating Lantern Festival. According to folklore, the Lantern Festival originated in the Spring and Autumn Period of King Zhao of Chu. On the fifteenth day of the first month, King Zhao of Chu passed through the Yangtze River and saw something floating on the surface of the river, which was a kind of sweet food that was white on the outside and red on the inside. King Zhao of Chu consulted Confucius, who said, "This floating fruit is also a sign of revival of the Lord". Lantern Festival and the Spring Festival rice cakes, Dragon Boat Festival dumplings, are festive food. Eating the Lantern Festival symbolizes the reunion of the family like the full moon, and sends people's good wishes for the future life. Lanterns in the south called "dumplings", "round", "floating round", "water round", made of glutinous rice, or solid, or with filling. The fillings include bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, etc. They can be boiled, fried, steamed or deep-fried.

The custom of lighting lanterns at the Lantern Festival originated from the Taoist "Three Elements"; the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Upper Elements Festival, the 15th day of the seventh month is the Middle Elements Festival, and the 15th day of the tenth month is the Lower Elements Festival. In charge of the upper, middle and lower Sanyuan were "heaven", "earth", "people" three officials, the heavenly officials are happy, so the lanterns should be lit on the Lantern Festival. Lantern Festival lanterns and fire, since the Han Dynasty when there has been this custom, the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival doubled the importance of the Lantern Festival; in the Lantern Festival lanterns have become a custom. Tang Dynasty poet Lu Zhaolin in the "fifteenth night to watch the lights" in this way to describe the Lantern Festival lanterns burning spectacle "catching the Han suspected that the stars fall, according to the building like the moon hanging." Lantern Festival lamp burning custom, through the inheritance of successive dynasties, the festival lamp type more and more, the name of the content of the lamp is also more and more, there are mirror lamps, phoenix lamps, glazed lamps and so on. Lantern Festival in addition to lighting, but also fireworks to help.

"Guess the lantern riddle" also called "playing lantern riddles" is the Lantern Festival after the increase of an activity, appeared in the Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital city of Lin'an made riddles every Lantern Festival, and there were a lot of people guessing riddles. At the beginning of the riddles were written on strips of paper and pasted on colorful lanterns for people to guess. The riddles were popular among people from all walks of life because they were both intellectually stimulating and interesting.

In addition to the celebration of the Lantern Festival, there are also faith-based activities. That is, "walk a hundred diseases," also known as "roast a hundred diseases," "spread a hundred diseases," the participants are mostly women, they walk in pairs or walk along the wall, or across the bridge to the countryside, the purpose is to drive away the disease and get rid of the disaster.

With the passage of time, the activities of the Lantern Festival more and more, many local festivals added to the dragon lanterns, lions, stilt walkers, rowing the dry boat twisting rice-planting songs, playing the drums and other activities.