Origin of Lantern Festival and Legendary Stories

# Lantern Festival # Introduction Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, is the first full moon in the lunar new year, this traditional festival has been inherited in our country for more than 2000 years. The following is The origin of the Lantern Festival and the legend of the story, welcome to read!

1. The origin of the Lantern Festival and legendary stories

1, Han Wendi to calm the chaos

After the death of Liu Bang, Han Gaozu, after the help of his son to ascend to the throne, and then took over the reigns of the dynasty, Liu's world into the world of the Lv. After the death of Empress Lv, the Lv family was in a state of anxiety, fearing that they would be harmed and ostracized. So, they secretly gathered at the home of the upper general Lu Lu Lu and ****plotted for rebellion.

The story reached the ears of Liu Sang, the king of Qi, who was a member of the Liu clan. In order to protect Liu's kingdom, Liu Sang decided to launch an army to crush Zhu Lu and finally pacify "Zhu Lu's Rebellion". After the rebellion was quelled, Liu Heng, the Emperor of Han Dynasty, was crowned by his ministers. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, the Emperor designated the 15th day of the first lunar month, the day when the "Rebellion of Zhu Lu" was quelled, as a day of happiness with the people, and all the houses in the capital put up lanterns and colorful decorations in order to celebrate the occasion. From then on, the 15th day of the first month has become a folk festival celebrated by all the people, that is, the "Lantern Festival".

2, Dongfang Shuo and the Lantern Girl

Legend has it that Dongfang Shuo in the Imperial Garden found the palace maiden Lantern because she could not meet with her family ready to throw herself into a well to kill herself, y sympathetic, and assured that he would try to reunite her with her family. He went out of the palace to set up a divination booth on Chang'an Street, and many people competed with him for fortune-telling. Unexpectedly, everyone accounted for the request, are "the sixteenth day of the first month of the fire burning body" sign. In a moment, Chang'an was in a panic, people have to ask for a solution to the disaster.

Dongfang Shuo threw down a written "Chang'an in the robbery, the fire burned the Imperial Palace, fifteen days of fire, the flame red night" of the red post, long gone. The people picked up the red post, rushed to the palace to report to the emperor. Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty looked at the heart of the shock, and quickly invited the East Shuo. Dongfang Shuo then put forward the idea of letting the palace maid make the fire god's favorite soup dumplings, burning incense on the fifteenth night to worship the fire god. Then, he asked his subjects to hang lanterns and set off firecrackers and fireworks all over the city on the fifteenth night, so as to create the illusion of a big fire in the city and hide it from the Jade Emperor. In addition, notify the people outside the city, the 15th night into the city to watch the lanterns, the palace people mixed in the crowd to eliminate the disaster.

By the first month of the fifteenth this day, Chang'an city home lights, tourists come and go, very lively. The parents of the courtesan Yuanxiao also took her sister into the city to watch the lanterns, and reunited with Yuanxiao. Such a lively night, Chang'an city is really safe and sound. Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty was delighted, then ordered to do every first month of the next 15 for the fire god king, the first month of the 15th, as usual, the whole city hanging lights, fireworks. Because of the palace maiden Lantern made soup dumplings, people will be called Lantern soup dumplings, this day is called "Lantern Festival".

2. The origin of the Lantern Festival and legends

1, the Lantern Festival is the Emperor of the Han Dynasty to commemorate the "Ping Lu" and set up. According to legend, after the death of Empress Lu's family was afraid of the great book fall, conspired to rebel, the royal family of Qi Wang Liu capsule together with the founding minister Zhou Bo together to quell "all the Lv chaos" after the chaos, the ministers embraced Liu Bang's second son, Liu Heng ascended to the throne as Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Deeply impressed by the hard-won peace and prosperity, Emperor Wen designated the 15th day of the first lunar month, the day when the "Rebellion of Zhu Lü" was quelled, as a day of happiness with the people, and every house in the capital was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations to celebrate the occasion. From then on, the 15th day of the first month has become a universal celebration of the folk festival "Lantern Festival".

2, the Lantern Festival, also known as the "Festival of the First Moon", is a celebration of the first full moon of the year. According to Taoism's "Three Elements", the 15th day of the first month for the first element festival, July 15 for the middle element festival, October 15 for the lower element festival. In charge of the upper, middle and lower three yuan respectively for the sky, earth, human three officials, the heavenly officials happy, so the lanterns should be lit on the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival lanterns and fireworks custom is from this argument.

3, the Lantern Festival originated in the "Torch Festival", the Han Dynasty people in the countryside and fields with torches to drive away insects and beasts, hoping to mitigate insect pests, praying for a good harvest. Until today, people in some areas of southwestern China still make torches with reed wood or branches on the fifteenth day of the first month, and dance in groups holding up the torches in the fields or grain fields. Since the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties, the festival has been very popular. Tens of thousands of people participated in the songs and dances, from dusk to dawn, to the end of the obscure. When with the changes in society and the times, the Lantern Festival customs and habits have long had a big change, but is still a traditional Chinese folk festival, the torch has gradually changed into a colorful lantern.

Since the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has developed into a national carnival in China, so the Lantern Festival is a traditional festival that embodies the traditional customs of the festival most thoroughly and typically. In most places, Lantern Festival customs include eating lanterns, watching lanterns, guessing lantern riddles, and beating drums, dragon dances, lion dances and other activities, but there are also unique customs in different parts of the North and South.

3. The origin of the Lantern Festival and legends

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, as early as in the Western Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival Lantern Appreciation began in the Eastern Han Dynasty Mingdi period, the Ming Emperor advocated for Buddhism, I heard that Buddhist monks on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Buddha's relics, lamps and Buddha's worship practices, ordered the night of the day in the Imperial Palace and the temple, the lamps to honor the Buddha, so that the soldiers and soldiers of the Emperor, and the Emperor's worship of the Buddha. In the lamp to honor the Buddha, so that the common people are hanging lamps. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. The festival has gone through the development process from the palace to the folk, from the Central Plains to the whole country.

At the time of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the 15th day of the first month was designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the festival of "Taiyi God" was held on the 15th day of the first month. (Taiyi: the god who dominates everything in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", the Lantern Festival has been identified as a major holiday.

Another theory is that the Lantern Festival custom originated in Taoism's "Three Elements"; the 15th day of the first month for the first element of the festival, the 15th day of July for the middle element of the festival, the 15th day of October for the lower element of the festival. In charge of the upper, middle and lower Sanyuan were heaven, earth, people three officials, the heavenly officials happy, so the Lantern Festival to light.

The Lantern Festival festival period and festival activities, is with the development of history and extend, expand. In terms of the length of the festival, the Han Dynasty only one day, to the Tang Dynasty has been three days, the Song Dynasty is up to five days, the Ming Dynasty is since the eighth light, until the night of the first month of the seventeenth before the lights, the whole ten days. With the Spring Festival, the daytime for the city, bustling, night lights, spectacular. Especially the delicate, colorful lights, more so during the Spring Festival has become a high tide of entertainment activities. To the Qing Dynasty, and added a dragon dance, lion dance, running boats, stilt walkers, twisting rice-planting songs and other "hundred theater" content, just shortened the festival period of four to five days.

4. Lantern Festival customs

There are many kinds of customs in the folk Lantern Festival, different ethnic groups over the Lantern Festival in different ways, the following is the way people of different ethnic groups over the Lantern Festival.

1, eat Lantern Festival

Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, "Lantern Festival" as a food, in China has a long history. Song Dynasty, the folk that is popular a Lantern Festival to eat novelty food. This food, the earliest called "floating yuanzi" later called "Lantern", the businessman also beautifully called "Yuan Bao". Lanterns with sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnuts, nuts, jujube paste, etc. for the filling, wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape, can be meat or vegetarian, with a variety of flavors. It can be boiled in soup, deep-fried, steamed, and has the meaning of reunion. The north is called Lantern, the south is called dumplings.

2, watch the lamp

Han Mingdi Yongping years (58-75 AD), Han Mingdi in order to promote Buddhism, ordered the night of the 15th day of the first month in the palace and the temple, "burning lamps to show Buddha". Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the 15th night of the first month gradually expanded in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

3, fireworks

The most joyful activities of the Lantern Festival. Lantern Festival night in the square are going to fireworks activities, when the whole family went to the street, to see the beautiful fireworks, fireworks more and more beautiful, more and more big, more and more high technology, more and more beautiful and more colorful.

4, guess the riddles

"Guess the riddles," also known as "riddles," is the Lantern Festival after the increase of an activity, the riddles are the earliest from the development of riddles, all places are playing riddles, hope that this year will be joyful, safe and sound. Because riddles can enlighten wisdom and interest, so the process of circulation by the popularity of all walks of life.

5, play dragon lantern

Juggling dragon lanterns, also known as dragon lantern dance or dragon dance. Its origin can be traced back to ancient times. Legend has it that as early as in the period of the Yellow Emperor, in a kind of large-scale song and dance of "Qingjiao", there appeared the image of a dragon head and bird body played by people, and then choreographed the dance scene of six augur dragons interspersed with each other. See in the written records of the dragon dance, is the Han Dynasty Zhang Heng's "Xijing Fu", the author of the hundred plays in the narrative of the dragon dance made a vivid depiction. According to the "sui book - music" records, the emperor of sui yang similar to the hundred plays in the dragon dance performance of the "yellow dragon change" is also very wonderful, the dragon dance is popular in many parts of China. The Chinese people revere the dragon as a symbol of good luck.

6, lion dance

Lion dance is an excellent folk art in China, every Lantern Festival or gathering celebrations, folk lion dance to come to cheer. This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period, began to popularize the North and South Dynasties, has been more than a thousand years of history.

5. The development of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival festival and festivals, is with the development of history and extended, expanded. In terms of the length of the festival, the Han Dynasty only one day, to the Tang Dynasty has been three days, the Song Dynasty is as long as five days, the Ming Dynasty is from the eighth light, until the night of the seventeenth day of the first month before the lights, is the longest Chinese calendar of the Festival of Lights, and the Chinese New Year, the daytime for the city, bustling, night lights, spectacular. Especially the delicate, colorful lights, more so during the Spring Festival to become a high tide of entertainment activities.

To the Qing Dynasty, and increased the dragon dance, lion dance, running boats, stilt walkers, twisting rice-planting songs and other "hundred plays" content, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days.

Tang Dynasty, in the unprecedented power of the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival is very prosperous, whether it is the capital or the townships, hanging lights everywhere, people also make huge lamp wheel, lamp tree, lamp post, etc., full of fire trees and silver flowers, very prosperous and lively.

Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty Lantern Festival in addition to "women out on the streets, since the night up to Dan, men and women confused" carnival, there are officials handing out lai see, the king and the people with the appreciation of the Lantern Festival; and even horror, prison institutions will use lights, images interpretation of the story of the prison inmates or display prison equipment and so on.

Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty developed into the most lively secular carnival, Lantern Festival is more colorful, Lantern Festival Lantern Festival lasts for five days, the style of the lamps are complex and diverse, shopping Lantern Market is a very pleasing thing to the eye. The poet Xin Qiji wrote: "the east wind night flowers, more blown down, stars like rain", said the Song Dynasty Lantern Festival lanterns countless, fireworks like a rain of stars.

At that time there was also the rise of riddles, that is, a variety of riddles written on strips of paper, pasted on the lanterns, the person who guessed can also get a small reward. This kind of entertainment and educational activities are loved by people and widely spread.

By the Yuan Dynasty, most of the holidays were canceled, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty that life is in motion, work is rest, only 16 days of vacation throughout the year.

The Festival of Lights in the Ming Dynasty lasted even longer, a full ten days from the eighth to the seventeenth of the first month, to show that there was a lot of singing and dancing.