The Lantern Festival riddle-guessing activity originated from which period?

"Guessing lantern riddles", also called "playing lantern riddles", is an activity added after the Lantern Festival, which appeared in the Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital city of Lin'an made riddles every Lantern Festival, and there were a lot of people guessing riddles. In the beginning, the riddles were written on strips of paper and pasted on colorful lanterns for people to guess. Because the riddles can enlighten and interesting, so the process of circulation by the popularity of all walks of life.

The basis of lantern riddles is riddles, and the development of riddles is a process. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States riddles have appeared, when some "politicians" in order to publicize their own ideas, to persuade the monarchs of various countries, often in their speeches using folk tales and legends of the metaphorical method, clever insinuation. This method was called "cryptic language" or "thin words".

Guessing riddles entertainment activities is a long history of traditional folk culture, in the "Old Wulin" and so on: "to silk lamps cut writing poetry, when rich ridicule, and painting characters, hidden hidden words, and the old Beijing gags to tease pedestrians. Lantern Festival, the Imperial City is not night. The Spring Lantern Festival is characterized by a variety of plays. The riddles are written in the lamps, reflected in the candles, and listed in the thoroughfares for people to guess; so they are called lamp riddles. "

In ancient times, every year, the Lantern Festival, people always have to split Cao shot over, cited as a laugh. Lantern riddles were first developed from riddles, originated in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period. It is a kind of literary game rich in ridicule, caution, wit and laughter. The riddles were hung in lamps for people to guess and shoot, which started in the Southern Song Dynasty.

The Old Story of Wulin - Lamps and Lamps

recorded that: "The silk lamps were used to cut and write poems, sometimes with ridicule and jokes, as well as paintings of characters, hidden words, and gags in the old capital to tease the pedestrians.

"Wen Xin Diao Long - Harmony Hidden" pointed out that "since the Wei Dynasty ...... and the gentleman mocking hidden, turned into riddles". In the Tang and Song dynasties, the "literary riddles" are developing, making riddles and guessing riddles more people." To the Southern Song Dynasty, every Lantern Festival, the literati wrote riddles on top of the gauze lanterns, for people to guess the fun.