The history and culture of motherland lanterns

Lantern, also known as "colored lantern", is a cultural product of Chinese traditional agricultural era, which has both life function and artistic characteristics. Lantern Festival originated from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who set up an altar in the palace on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to worship the most distinguished Taiyi God at that time. Because it is held all night, it is necessary to light all night, which is the beginning of Lantern Festival lighting. After Buddhism was introduced to China from India, due to the combination of Taoist immortal skills and the piety of burning lanterns to worship Buddha, on the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, urban and rural areas were brightly lit, and gentry and ordinary people hung lanterns, forming a unique custom of combining Chinese and Western.

During the reign of Yang Di in Sui Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was full of fun and stayed up all night, and lanterns gradually developed into an important activity of the Lantern Festival.

In the Tang dynasty, because of social prosperity and economic prosperity, lanterns were more brilliant and the scale of activities was quite large. The crowds watching the lights were crowded, from princes and nobles to hawkers and pawns, all went out to enjoy the lights. During the reign of Xuanzong, the prohibition of the Western Han Dynasty continued. Chang 'an, the capital of Beijing, even canceled the three-night curfew before and after the Lantern Festival, and expanded the implementation of "night release" to facilitate people to enjoy the lanterns. After the Tang Dynasty, lanterns became an important symbol of the Lantern Festival.

Although the national strength of the Song Dynasty was weak, this culture was vigorously promoted by the royal family, making the Song Dynasty another important historical stage in the development of lanterns. In Ming and Qing dynasties, the lantern viewing craze continued unabated, and there was even a lantern market in the square, selling lanterns of various styles to compete for beauty.