What does Lantern Festival mean?

Yuanxiao originally meant "the night of Shangyuan Festival", because the main activities of Shangyuan Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month were to eat glutinous rice balls and enjoy the moon at night, and later the name of this festival evolved into "Lantern Festival".

Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Xiaoyuanyuan Festival, Yuanxi Festival or Lantern Festival, is the 15th day of the first lunar month and the last important festival of China Spring Festival. Lantern Festival is one of the traditional festivals in China, Chinese character cultural circle and overseas Chinese.

Folk custom of eating Yuanxiao on Lantern Festival. Yuanxiao is called Tangyuan, Zi Yuan, Floating Zi Yuan and Shui Yuan in the south. It is made of glutinous rice (sweet potato in some areas), solid and stuffed. Filled with bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, etc., boiled, fried, steamed and fried. At first, people called this kind of food "floating dumplings", and later it was called "dumplings" or "dumplings".

These names are similar to the word "reunion", which means reunion and symbolizes family reunion, harmony and happiness. People will also miss their dead relatives and place good expectations on their future lives. Eating Yuanxiao, like a full moon, symbolizes family reunion and entrusts people with good wishes for their future life.

The origin of festivals

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, and the formation of Lantern Festival custom has a long process, which is rooted in the folk custom of turning on lights to pray. Generally, turning on the light for blessing begins on the 14th night of the first month, and the 15th night is "positive light". People light lamps, also known as "sending lamps", in order to pray to the gods. The introduction of Buddhist culture in the Eastern Han Dynasty also played an important role in promoting the formation of Lantern Festival customs.

During the Yongping period of Emperor Hanming, in order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Hanming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in palaces and temples on the fifteenth night of the first month. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the 15th night of the first month was gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Lantern Festival gradually became a trend. Liang Wudi believed in Buddhism, and the palace was brightly lit on the fifteenth day of the first month.

During the Tang Dynasty, cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries became closer, Buddhism flourished, and officials and ordinary people generally "burned lanterns to worship Buddha" on the fifteenth day of the first month, so Buddha lanterns spread all over the people. It has been legal to set off lanterns on the Lantern Festival since the Tang Dynasty.

Refer to the above? Baidu encyclopedia-yuanxiao