As one of the traditional festivals in China, Lantern Festival is celebrated by many people on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year. The origin of the Lantern Festival also has certain implications. Let's look at the story of the origin of the Lantern Festival.

The origin of the Lantern Festival story 1 The Lantern Festival originated in the Han Dynasty, and it is said that it was set up by Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty to commemorate Pinglu. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities of "Taiyi God" were held on the 15th day of the first month, and Sima Qian listed the Lantern Festival as a major festival in taichu calendar.

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which began in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Lantern Festival viewing began in the period of Emperor Han Ming in the East. Ming Di advocates Buddhism. He heard that on the fifteenth day of the first month, monks watched the Buddhist relics and lit lanterns to worship the Buddha, so that all the gentry and ordinary people hung lanterns. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. This festival has experienced the development process from the court to the people, and from the Central Plains to the whole country.

The Origin Story of Lantern Festival

Myths and legends of Lantern Festival;

According to legend, in ancient times, there were many kinds of birds, animals and poisonous snakes where people lived. Every once in a while, people are injured everywhere, and people finally get angry, so they all pick up bows and sticks to organize them to go up the mountain to kill pests.

The pet of heaven and earth has a god bird. After being bored in the Heavenly Palace for a long time, he dived into the world to fly. Unexpectedly, the person who killed the pests on the mountain mistook it for a pest and shot it. The Emperor of Heaven was very angry when he learned of it. He immediately ordered the heavenly soldiers of the Ministry of Fire to lower the sky fire on the fifteenth day of the first month, burning land, houses, poultry and so on.

The youngest daughter of the Emperor of Heaven overheard this, and the kind daughter was moved by compassion and could not bear to see the suffering of the people, so she quietly came to the world. The goddess used magic to separate many incarnations and came to everyone's ear to whisper a few words in the dark; "The fifteenth day of the first month is a disaster, and it is better to play lanterns than to eliminate disasters; Heaven and earth are inseparable, and they are thundering to the fifth watch. "

People found that they all had the same dream after dawn, and a wise old man guessed the secret; The fairy in the sky is to let us all light lanterns and have a lively night, so that God can feel that the world is on fire, so that there will be no disaster.

Everyone listened to the old man's words, and every household was busy. On the fifteenth day of the first month, lanterns were hung early and gongs and drums played all night. This move is very effective. People invited the soldiers who set fire to the ground to eat a bowl of sweet glutinous rice balls at home, and forgot to set fire to them when they thought it was delicious.

Seeing the fire and sound of the world through the clouds, the Emperor of Heaven thought it was a burning fire, so he stopped asking. People escaped the disaster, and then they beat gongs and drums and set off lanterns at this time of year to express their gratitude to the goddess.

How this fairy tale was handed down is impossible to verify. Only the activity of putting lanterns and eating Yuanxiao has remained so far, which has become a major traditional festival in history, conveying people's respect for the god of heaven and earth and hope for good luck and happiness.

Inheritance of Taoist Shangyuan Festival;

Historically, Taoism once called the 15th day of the first month Shangyuan Festival, in addition to Zhongyuan Festival on July 15 and Xiayuan Festival on July 10/5. Together, it is called "Sanyuan", and it also refers to the three immortals of heaven, earth and water enshrined in the Taoist Five Dou Mi Dao. Celestial officials can bless; Local officials can forgive sins; Water officials can be solved, and three yuan must be matched with three officials. Therefore, on the fifteenth day of the first month, lanterns should be lit to worship the officials in the sky and pray for good luck.

Two thousand years ago, the Han Dynasty paid more attention to the activities of Shangyuan Festival. On the fifteenth day of the first month, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty will personally lead ministers to worship Taiyi God. It is said that this god is great and can be in charge of everything in the universe. Later, this activity was regarded as a prelude to offering sacrifices to the gods. People always eat glutinous rice balls on the night of Shangyuan Festival, so it is also called Lantern Festival. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, it was called Shangyuan Festival because of Taoist infection, and it was not called Lantern Festival until the end of the Tang Dynasty.

With the development of history, from the initial offering of sacrifices to the gods and the world, to people holding torches in groups in the countryside to drive away the evil spirits of insects and beasts, to the sacrificial activities of beating gongs and drums and putting out lanterns, dancing dragons and lions to drive away the evil spirits, and finally, many entertainment items such as lantern riddles, walking on stilts and yangko dancing have gradually increased.

The Origin Story of Lantern Festival 2 The Origin and Legend of Lantern Festival

Origin:

The introduction of Buddhist culture in the Eastern Han Dynasty is of great significance to the formation of Lantern Festival customs.

During the Yongping period of Emperor Hanming, in order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Hanming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in palaces and temples on the fifteenth night of the first month. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the 15th night of the first month was gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Lantern Festival gradually became a trend. Liang Wudi believed in Buddhism, and the palace was brightly lit on the fifteenth day of the first month.

During the Tang Dynasty, cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries became closer, Buddhism flourished, and officials and ordinary people generally "burned lanterns to worship Buddha" on the fifteenth day of the first month, so Buddha lanterns spread all over the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become a legal thing and has gradually become a folk custom.

Legend:

According to "A Brief History of Monks", Buddha Sakyamuni appeared on February 30, 65438, that is, on the fifteenth day of the first month in Dongtu. In order to commemorate the Buddha's change of god, a lantern burning ceremony will be held on this day.

When Emperor Hanming came to lecture in the East, Morten Zhuflange ordered Emperor Hanming to put up lanterns at 15 o'clock in the first month of the Buddha's transition, and personally went to the temple to decorate the lanterns to show his respect for the Buddha.

Since then, putting lanterns on the Lantern Festival has become a common custom. However, some scholars believe that this view is untenable and that Buddhism only uses people's holiday atmosphere to expand its influence on this day.

Extended data:

The formation of Lantern Festival custom has a long process. According to general data and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first month was paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty. However, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month is indeed a folk festival after the Han and Wei Dynasties.

Lantern Festival is one of the traditional festivals in China, Chinese character cultural circle and overseas Chinese. Lantern Festival mainly includes a series of traditional folk activities, such as watching lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, solve riddles on the lanterns and setting off fireworks.

In addition, in many places, traditional folk performances, such as playing dragon lanterns, playing lions, walking on stilts, boating, yangko dancing and playing Taiping drums, have all joined the Lantern Festival. In June 2008, the Lantern Festival was selected as the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

The Origin of Lantern Festival Story 3 About the Origin of Lantern Festival

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Lantern Festival and Lantern Festival. The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called night "night", so they called the fifteenth day of the first month "Lantern Festival". With the changes of society and times, the custom of Lantern Festival has changed greatly, but it is still a traditional folk festival in China. Yuanxiao was only called the fifteenth day of the first month, the first half of the first month or the full moon when the early festivals were formed, and it was called Yuanxiao or Yuanxiao after Sui. Influenced by Taoism in the early Tang Dynasty, it was also called Shangyuan, but it was only in the late Tang Dynasty that it was occasionally called Yuanxiao. But since the Song Dynasty, it has also been called Dengxi. In the Qing dynasty, it was also called the Lantern Festival.

The festivals and customs of Lantern Festival have been extended and expanded with the development of history. As far as the length of festivals is concerned, there is only one day in Han Dynasty, three days in Tang Dynasty and five days in Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, lights were lit from the eighth day until the seventeenth night of the first month. It is the longest Lantern Festival in the history of China, which is connected with the Spring Festival. This day is a city. Very lively and spectacular. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival. In the Qing Dynasty, there were more "hundred operas" such as dragon dancing, lion dancing, dry boating, walking on stilts and yangko dancing, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days.

The custom of the lantern festival

1. Eating Yuanxiao, as a kind of food, has a long history in China. In the Song Dynasty, a novel Lantern Festival food was popular among the people. This kind of food was originally called "Floating Zi Yuan", later called "Yuanxiao", and merchants also called it "Yuanbao".

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival custom of Lantern Festival, which began in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, lantern style prevailed in all previous dynasties and spread to future generations.

3. Lantern riddle, also known as playing riddles, is a unique form of traditional folk cultural activities with rich national style in China, which has been passed down since ancient times.

4. Lion dance is an excellent folk art in China. Whenever the Lantern Festival or the celebration of the General Assembly, people always come to the lion dance to entertain. This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period and was popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of 1000 years.