The Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, Xiaozhengyue, Lantern Festival or Lantern Festival, takes place on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year. The first lunar month is the first month of the lunar calendar, and the ancients called "night" "xiao". The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the first full-moon night of the year, so the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is called the "Lantern Festival". According to the Taoist "Three Yuan" theory, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also called the "Shangyuan Festival". The custom of the Lantern Festival has been dominated by the warm and festive lantern viewing custom since ancient times.

The formation of the Lantern Festival has a long process, which is rooted in the ancient folk custom of turning on lights to pray for blessings. According to general information and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has been taken seriously in the Western Han Dynasty, but the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month truly became a national folk festival after the Han and Wei dynasties. The rise of the custom of lighting lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also related to the spread of Buddhism to the east. Buddhism flourished in the Tang Dynasty. Officials and common people generally "light lanterns to worship Buddha" on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Buddhist lights spread among the people. Starting from the Tang Dynasty, lighting up lanterns during the Lantern Festival became a custom. Legal matters.

Festivals and customs

The festivals and customs of the Lantern Festival have been extended and expanded with the development of history. As far as the length of the festival is concerned, it was only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the lights were lit from the eighth day of the lunar month until the lights were turned off on the night of the seventeenth day of the first lunar month. It was the longest festival in Chinese history. The long Lantern Festival is connected with the Spring Festival. The city is bustling during the day, and the lanterns are lit at night, making it a spectacular sight. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival.

In the Qing Dynasty, "hundred operas" such as dragon dance, lion dance, land boat running, stilt walking, and Yangko dancing were added, but the festival period was shortened to four to five days. In ancient China, the Lantern Festival was a festival full of romance. Women who usually stay at home can go out to enjoy the lanterns on this day, which also provides opportunities for young men and women to meet. It can be seen that the Lantern Festival creates a good opportunity for people to express their feelings and is also the "Valentine's Day" in ancient China.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia - Lantern Festival