Origin and Customs of the Lantern Festival

The origin of the Lantern Festival is to commemorate the "Pinglue", and the customs of the Lantern Festival include eating dumplings and watching lanterns.

1, the origin of the Lantern Festival

In honor of the "Pinglue" origin: the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the Lantern Festival. Also known as the Festival of the first yuan, the night of the first yuan, the Festival of Lights. Legend has it that Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty (179-157 years ago) to celebrate Zhou Bo in the first month of the fifteenth survey leveled the chaos of the Lü, every night, will be out of the palace to play, and the people of the same music, in ancient times, the night with the night, the first month of the first month is also known as the month of the yuan, the Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty, the first month of the fifteenth as the Lantern Festival, the night is called the Lantern Festival. Sima Qian created the Taichu Calendar, which listed the Lantern Festival as a major festival.

2, the Lantern Festival customs

Eat dumplings: the 15th day of the first month to eat dumplings, is China's long-standing custom. Soup dumplings, also known as "dumplings", "Lantern", it is the practice of ingredients of different flavors, but eating Lantern on behalf of the same meaning. The dumplings represent a happy and beautiful reunion, and the days get brighter and brighter. In the Lantern Festival must be with the family to eat "Lantern", on behalf of the family and beautiful.

Watch the lights: watch the lights is the Lantern Festival traditional holiday customs, began in the Western Han Dynasty, flourished in the Sui and Tang dynasties. After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the wind of lights prevailed, and inherited in later generations. And the first month of the 15th, and is the annual lanterns and fireworks climax. So the Lantern Festival is also known as the "Festival of Lights". Many areas, the first day of the first month of the "lantern" has become a spontaneous folk activities, in the night of the first month of the first day of the night, the streets and alleys, red lanterns hanging high, there are palace lanterns, animal head lanterns, horse lanterns, flower lanterns, bird lanterns and so on, attracting the masses of lanterns.

The significance of the Lantern Festival

The Spring Festival begins with the closing of the door on New Year's Eve, and ends with the Lantern Festival, which is a process of expanding the scope of people's activities and relationships. On the first day of the New Year's Eve, people pay homage to their parents, and on the second day of the New Year's Eve, they pay homage to their mother's family. Later on, the scope of New Year's greetings is gradually expanded to include relatives and friends in general. In this period, people's activities are limited to acquaintances.

The fifth day of the month is the fifth day of the month, when agricultural work can begin and stores can open. At this time of the year, society begins to function normally. By the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all members of society, men and women, old and young, join in the festivities. Therefore, the Lantern Festival has the significance of confirming the mutual relations of all members of society (including those who do not know each other).

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Lantern Festival