Origin of Lantern Festival? Traditional culture and significance of the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, is a traditional Chinese festival Lantern Festival. The first month is the first month, the ancients called the night for "night", and the fifteenth day is the first full moon night of the 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. The date was shortened to five days, has continued to this day.

Guess the riddles

"Guess the riddles", also known as "riddles", is a Lantern Festival after the Lantern Festival to increase the number of activities, lantern riddles is the earliest from the development of riddles, originated in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period. It is a kind of literary game which is full of ridicule, admonition, warning, wit and jest. Riddles are hung in lamps for people to guess and shoot, which began in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Old Story of Wulin - Lanterns" recorded: "Silk lamps cut and written poems, sometimes with ridicule and laughter, and painting characters, hidden hidden words, and gags in the old capital, teasing pedestrians." Lantern Festival, the Imperial City is not night, the spring Lantern Festival lanterns, the people mixed, poetry riddles book in the lamp, reflected in the candle, listed in the thoroughfare, let people guess, so called "lantern riddles". Nowadays, every Lantern Festival, all places are playing lantern riddles, hoping that this year can be joyful and peaceful. Because riddles can inspire wisdom and are interesting, they are popular among all social classes.　In the Tang and Song dynasties, various kinds of juggling skills began to appear in the lantern market. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, in addition to riddles and a hundred operas, songs and dances, the Lantern Market also added the content of opera performances.　Throughout the ages, in addition to touring the Lantern Festival, there are welcome Zigu sacrifices to the god of toilet, bridge touch nails to walk away from a hundred diseases and other customs, there are drums, rice-planting songs, stilts, dragon dance, lion dance and other games.　The Lantern Festival in traditional society is a big folk festival valued by both urban and rural areas, and the Lantern Festival in the city is particularly enthusiastic, reflecting the unique carnival spirit of the Chinese people. The traditional Lantern Festival has been dissolved by daily life, people gradually lost **** the same spiritual interest, the complexity of the festival has been simplified to "eat Lantern" food customs.　 Dragon Lantern Dance

Juggling Dragon Lanterns

Juggling Dragon Lanterns is also known as the Dragon Lantern Dance or Dragon Dance. Its origin can be traced back to ancient times. Legend has it that as early as during the time of the Yellow Emperor, in a large-scale song and dance called "Qingjiao", there was an image of a dragon with a bird's body played by a human being, and later a dance scene with six augur dragons interspersed with each other was choreographed. 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.

Stilts

Stilts are a kind of popular skill show. Stilts are one of the hundred ancient Chinese plays, which appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. The earliest introduction of stilts in China is in the article of "Lie Zi - Said Fu": "There was a Lanzi in Song, who used his skill to dry Song Yuan. Song Yuan summoned him to see his skill.

Lion Dance

Traditional Folk Programs--Lion Dance

Lion Dance is an excellent folk art in China, which is performed at the Lantern Festival or rallies and celebrations. 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.　The "Lion Dance" began in the Wei and Jin dynasties and flourished in the Tang Dynasty, also known as the "Lion Dance" and "Taiping Le", which is usually performed by three people, two of whom dress up as lions, one of whom acts as the head of the lion, one of whom acts as the body and the back foot of the lion, and the other acts as the guide of the lion. The lion dance is usually performed by three people, one dressed as the head of the lion, one as the body and feet, and the other as the lion guide, and the dance is divided into civil and military, with the civil dance showing the lion's tameness, and actions such as shaking the hair, rolling, etc., and the military lion showing the lion's fierceness, and actions such as prancing, stomping high, and rolling the colorful ball.

Rowing the dry boat

Rowing the dry boat, folklore says, is in honor of Dayu, who was successful in curing the water. Rowing a dry boat, also known as running a dry boat, is to imitate the boat on land, most of the performance of running a dry boat is a girl. Dry boat is not a real boat, more than two thin boards, sawed into a boat shape, bamboo and wood tied into, and then masked with colorful cloth, set of ties in the girl's waist, as sitting in the boat, as in the hands of the same paddle, to do the rowing position, one side running, one side singing some local ditties, singing and dancing, which is the rowing of dry boat. Sometimes there is another man dressed up as a boat passenger, partnering with the show, but mostly dressed up as a clown, with a variety of comical actions to amuse the audience. Rowing the dry boat is popular in many parts of China.

Eating Lantern Festival

"Lantern Festival" as a food has a long history in China. During the Song Dynasty, a novelty food for the Lantern Festival was popular among the people. This food, the earliest called "floating Yuanzi" later called "Lantern", the businessman also beautifully called "Yuanbao". In ancient times, "Lantern" is more expensive, there is a poem that says: "Your guests hook curtains to see the Royal Street, the market treasures a moment to come. In front of the curtain, there is no way to walk through the flower racks, and you can't return without money."　The fifteenth day of the first month to eat Lantern Festival, Lantern Festival that is "dumplings" to sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnuts, nuts, jujube puree, etc. for the filling, wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape, meat can be vegetarian, with different flavors. It can be boiled in soup, deep-fried or steamed, and has the meaning of reunion. Shaanxi dumplings are not wrapped, but in the glutinous rice flour "rolled" into, or boiled Division or deep-fried, hot fire, reunion. [3]

Sacrificing the door, sacrificing the household

In ancient times, there were "seven sacrifices", of which these were two. They were performed by sticking a poplar branch above a gateway, inserting a pair of chopsticks in a bowl of bean porridge, or placing wine and meat directly in front of the door.

Rats

This activity is mainly said to people who raise silkworms. Because the rats often ate the silkworms in large pieces at night, people heard that on the 15th day of the first month, they fed the rats with rice porridge, so that they could stop eating the silkworms. So, these people in the first month of the fifteenth boiled on a big pot of sticky porridge, some also covered with a layer of meat on top, the porridge with a bowl, put the porridge into the rat-infested roofs, corners, the side of the mouth also read the words, cursing the rats to eat silkworms again on the baby shall not die.　Jing Chu chronicles" said, the first month of the fifteenth time, there is a fairy down to a family surnamed Chen, said to them: if you can sacrifice me, this year, let your silkworm harvest. Then the custom was formed.

Send children lamps

Short for "send lamps", also known as "send lanterns", etc., that is, before the Lantern Festival, the mother's family to send lanterns to the newly married daughter's home, or general friends and relatives to the newly married sterile home, in order to add a good omen, because the "lamp" and the "lamp" are the same as the "lamp", and the "lamp" and the "lamp" are the same as the "lamp", and the "lamp" is the same as the "lamp". "Lights" and "Ding" harmonized. This custom in many places, Xi'an, Shaanxi area is the first eight to fifteen during the first month to send lamps, the first year to send a pair of large lanterns, a pair of glass lamps with colorful paintings, hope that the daughter of the marriage of the lucky star, early birth of a child; such as the daughter of the pregnancy, in addition to the large lanterns, but also to send one or two pairs of small lanterns, wishing the daughter a safe pregnancy.

Welcome the purple nun

Purple nun also called Chi Nun, the north more known as the toilet nun, pit three nuns. Ancient folk custom on the fifteenth day of the first month to welcome the toilet god Zigu and sacrifice, divination sericulture, and account for all things. Legend has it that the purple nun was originally a concubine, jealous of the older women, the first month of the fifteenth was killed in the toilet, the toilet god. Every day to welcome the purple nun this night, people with straw, cloth, etc. tied into a life-size portrait of the purple nun, and at night in the toilet between the pigsty to meet and worship. This custom is popular in the north and south, as early as the north and south dynasty period in the record.　 Lantern Festival "walk a hundred diseases" to seek well-being

walk a hundred diseases

"Walk a hundred diseases", also known as swim a hundred diseases, scattered a hundred diseases, baked a hundred diseases, walk the bridge, etc., is a kind of elimination of disaster pray for health activities. Lantern Festival night women meet to travel, traveling in pairs, see the bridge must be over, that can get rid of diseases and prolong life.　Walking 100 diseases is a custom in the north since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, some in the 15th, but more in the 16th. On this day, women dressed in festive costumes, groups of people out of the house, walking bridge across the danger, climbed the city, touching the nail for a child, until midnight, to return.

Editing Minority Customs

Stealing Vegetables Festival

The Stealing Vegetables Festival of the Miao, which is popular in the area of Huangping, Guizhou Province, is also held on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year. On the day of the festival, girls go in groups to steal other people's vegetables, strictly prohibited from stealing their own family, but also can not steal from friends of the same sex, because stealing vegetables is related to their marital affairs. The vegetables they steal are limited to cabbages, and the quantity is enough for everyone to have a meal. There is no fear of being caught stealing vegetables, and the family is not blamed for the theft. Everyone gathers the stolen vegetables together and makes a cabbage feast. It is said that whoever eats the most will be able to get the man of his choice early, and at the same time raise the strongest silkworms, which will spit out the best and most silk.

Bawu Festival

The traditional festival of the Yi people, the Bawu Festival, is held on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar. The word "Ba'u" means "return from hunting". In Yunnan Heqing Yi tribal branch of the black living people living area. This festival was originally a customary activity to celebrate the return of hunting, with no fixed festival.

Edit this section of the festival food customs

New Year's Eve to eat the Lantern Festival, "Lantern Festival" as a food, in China has a long history. In the Song Dynasty, the popularity of a novelty food eaten on the Lantern Festival.　 Lantern Festival representative food

This food, the earliest called "floating Yuanzi" later called "Lantern", the businessman also beautifully called "Yuanbao". Lantern that "dumplings" to sugar, rose, sesame, bean paste, yellow cinnamon, walnuts, nuts, jujube paste, etc. for the filling, wrapped in glutinous rice flour into a round shape, meat can be vegetarian, different flavors. It can be boiled in soup, deep-fried or steamed, and has the meaning of reunion. Shaanxi dumplings are not wrapped, but in the glutinous rice flour "rolled" into, or boiled Division or deep-fried, hot fire, reunion. At the same time, some festive food is also eaten, in the North and South Dynasties, poured with meat and poo soup rice porridge or bean porridge. But this food is mainly used for rituals, not yet talked about is festival food. In the Tang Dynasty, Zheng Wangzhi's "Cuisine Record" recorded: "Bianzhong festival food, on the Yuan oil hammer". The method of making oil hammer, according to "Taiping Guangji" cited "Lu's Miscellaneous Sayings" in a "Shangshi food order" records, similar to the later generation of deep-fried Lantern Festival. Some people also called it "oil painting pearl". Yuanxiao (Lantern Festival)

The Tang Dynasty's Yuanxiao festive food was the noodle worm. Wang Renyu's (880-956) Kaiyuan Tianbaozhi (Remains of Kaiyuan Tianbao) records: "Every year on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the custom of man-made noodle silkworms still remains in the Song Dynasty, but the different foods for the festival are more plentiful than in the Tang Dynasty". Lv Yuanming's "Miscellany of the Year" mentions: "Beijing people make mung bean flour for Kodou soup, boil glutinous for balls, sugar for meat broth, called round salt and black bean. Twisted head of mixed meat soup, called salt and black bean soup, and as a human day to create silkworms, all on the Yuan Festival food. To the Southern Song Dynasty, there is the so-called "lactose rounds" appeared, which should be the predecessor of the dumplings.　At least by the Ming Dynasty, people called these glutinous rice dumplings 'yuanxiao'. Liu Ruoyu (born in 1541) of the "discretion in the Zhi" recorded the method of Lantern Festival: "the method of production, with glutinous rice flour, filled with walnut kernels, sugar, roses, sprinkled with water and rolled into, such as walnuts large, that is, Jiangnan also known as dumplings".　During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the "Eight Treasures Lanterns" specially prepared by the Imperial Catering House was a famous delicacy. Ma Siyuan was a master of making dumplings in Beijing at that time. He was well known for his powder-dripping snacks. Fu Zeng (born in 1688) wrote in his "Bamboo Poem for the Last Lantern": "The filling is fragrant with osmanthus flowers and walnuts, and the river rice is like a pearl poured into the well. I have seen that the Ma family sells Lanterns in the wind, saying that the Ma family sells good powder". The poem is about the famous Ma Family Lanterns.　Over the past thousand years, the production of Lanterns has become more and more sophisticated. In terms of crust alone, there are river rice noodles, sticky sorghum noodles, yellow rice noodles, and podded grain noodles. The fillings are all kinds of sweet, salty, non-vegetarian and vegetarian. The sweet ones are so-called osmanthus sugar, hawthorn sugar, assorted, bean paste, sesame, peanut, etc. The savory ones are lard and meat. The salty ones are stuffed with pork lard, which can be used for deep-frying and stir-frying. The vegetarian ones are made of mustard, garlic, leek and ginger, which means hard work, longevity and upward mobility.　Production methods also vary from north to south. The north of the Lanterns more with the method of the Wuhu roll hand shaking, the south of the dumplings are more with the heart of the hand kneading the ball. Lantern can be as big as walnuts, there are also small like soybeans, cooking methods with soup, fried food, boil, steamed and so on. Whether with or without filling, are equally delicious. At present, the Lantern has become a kind of all-time snack snacks, at any time you can come to a bowl of relief.