The Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar) is 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 in a 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 watch the lanterns, riddles, eat 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 15th day of the first month, every year after that, Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty went out of the palace in a small dress 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 Han Dynasty, the sacrifice of "Taiyi God" was held on the 15th day of the first month. Sima Qian listed the Lantern Festival as one of the major festivals in the "Taichu Calendar".
Since the formation of the Lantern Festival, all the dynasties have been to the 15th of the first month of the Lantern Festival as a major event. Emperor Jianwen of Liang once wrote a <>: "The southern oil is full, and the western lacquer is burning. Su Zheng rest, wax out of Longchuan. The slanting sunlight is reflected, and the reflection is clear and fresh." It depicted the pomp and circumstance of the palace at the Lantern Festival. In the time of Emperor Yang of Sui, a grand party was held on the 15th day of the first month every year to entertain the guests and envoys from all over the world. According to the "Sui book - music" records: the Lantern Festival is very grand, everywhere lights and colors, day and night singing, dancing and playing music, performers up to more than 30,000 people, playing music up to more than 18,000 people, the stage is eight miles long, playing the people watching the lights is countless, all night long, enjoy the fun, lively very much. In the Tang Dynasty, it developed into an unprecedented lantern market, and after the Middle Tang Dynasty, it has developed into a national carnival. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 685--762), the beginning of the heyday, Chang'an lamp market is very large, burning lamps 50,000, lanterns, lanterns, the emperor ordered to make a giant lamp building, as wide as 20 rooms, 150 feet high, bright gold, extremely spectacular. Tang Dynasty is the implementation of the curfew, the night ban on the drums will be prohibited to travel, criminal night to be punished; only in the first yuan festival, the emperor chartered three days, known as "put the night". Along to the Song Dynasty, the lights from three nights extended to five nights, lights outside the fireworks, performing a variety of juggling, the scene is more lively. Tokyo Dreaming Records recorded: Every Lantern Festival, Kaifeng Imperial Street, ten thousand colored lanterns base lamps mountain, lanterns fireworks, gold and blue shot, embroidery and glitter. The girls of Kyoto sang and danced, and ten thousand people gathered around to watch." Tourists gathered under the two corridors of the Imperial Street, strange arts and crafts, singing and dancing, and music and noise for more than ten miles." The streets and alleys, tea houses and restaurants lights and candles burning, the sound of drums and gongs, firecrackers, hundreds of miles of lights all over the compatriots celebrate the Lantern Festival
To the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang in the Jinling after the throne, in order to make the capital prosperous and lively, and the provisions of the first eight of the first month of the lights, seventeen lights, even Zhang ten nights, every house is hanging colorful lanterns, lanterns on the depiction of a variety of figures, dancing, birds and flowers, lanterns, lanterns, lanterns, lanterns, lanterns, lanterns, lanterns, lanterns, lanterns. Dragons and fish leap, lanterns and fireworks shine all night long. Drums and music. Noisy Dan, which is China's longest Lantern Festival, the Qing Dynasty, Manchu dominated the Central Plains, the court no longer run the Lantern Festival, the folk Lantern Festival is still spectacular. Date shortened to five days, has been extended to today.