Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, just after the Spring Festival, comes the traditional Chinese festival - the Lantern Festival.
The first month of the first lunar month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called night "Xiao", so the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is called the Lantern Festival. The 15th day of the first lunar month is the first full-moon night of the year. It is also the night when the Yuan Dynasty begins and the earth returns to spring. People celebrate this and it is also the continuation of celebrating the New Year. The Lantern Festival is also called the "Shangyuan Festival".
According to Chinese folk tradition, on this night when the bright moon hangs high in the sky, people light up thousands of colored lanterns to celebrate. They go out to enjoy the moon, light lanterns and set off flames, guess lantern riddles, and eat Yuanxiao. The family reunites and celebrates the festival together, and it is a joyful time.
The Lantern Festival is also called the Festival of Lanterns. The custom of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival began in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, lantern viewing activities became more prosperous. Lanterns were hung everywhere in the palace and on the streets, and tall lantern wheels were built. Lantern towers and lantern trees, Lu Zhaolin, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, once described the grand occasion of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival in "Watching Lanterns on the Fifteenth Night" as follows: "The stars are falling, leaning against the tower like the moon is hanging."
Updates from the Song Dynasty Paying attention to the Lantern Festival, the lantern viewing activities are more lively. The lantern viewing activities last for five days and the styles of lanterns are also more abundant. In the Ming Dynasty, lantern viewing lasted for 10 consecutive days, making this the longest lantern festival in China. Although the lantern viewing event in the Qing Dynasty only lasted for three days, it was very large-scale and unprecedentedly grand. In addition to lighting lanterns, fireworks were also set off to add to the fun.
"Guessing lantern riddles", also called "playing lantern riddles", is an activity added after the Lantern Festival and appeared in the Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an, the capital, made riddles during the Lantern Festival, and many people guessed riddles. In the beginning, the good guys wrote riddles on slips of paper and pasted them on colorful lanterns for people to guess. Because riddles can enlighten wisdom and are interesting, they are very popular among all walks of life in the process of spreading.
It is a folk custom to eat Yuanxiao during the Lantern Festival. Yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice, either solid or stuffed. The fillings include bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, various fruit materials, etc. It can be boiled, fried, steamed or fried when eaten. At first, people called this food "Fuyuanzi", and later called it "Tangtuan" or "Tangyuan". These names have similar pronunciations to the word "Tuanyuan", which means reunion, symbolizing the reunion, harmony and happiness of the whole family. People also call it "Tuanyuan". This memory of the departed relatives expresses good wishes for future life.
The Lantern Festival in some places also has the custom of "walking all diseases", also known as "roasting all diseases" and "scattering all diseases". Most of the participants are women, and they walk together or along the wall. Or cross the bridge or walk in the suburbs, the purpose is to drive away diseases and eliminate disasters.
As time goes by, more and more activities are held during the Lantern Festival. Many local festivals include traditional folk performances such as dragon lantern dancing, lion dancing, stilt walking, land boat rowing, Yangko dancing, and peace drum playing. This traditional festival, which has been passed down for more than 2,000 years, is not only popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also celebrated year after year in overseas Chinese communities.
Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, just after the Spring Festival, comes the traditional Chinese festival - the Lantern Festival.
The first month of the first lunar month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called night "Xiao", so the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is called the Lantern Festival. The 15th day of the first lunar month is the first full-moon night of the year. It is also the night when the Yuan Dynasty begins and the earth returns to spring. People celebrate this and it is also the continuation of celebrating the New Year. The Lantern Festival is also called the "Shangyuan Festival".
According to Chinese folk tradition, on this night when the bright moon hangs high in the sky, people light up thousands of colored lanterns to celebrate. They go out to enjoy the moon, light lanterns and set off flames, guess lantern riddles, and eat Yuanxiao. The family reunites and celebrates the festival together, and it is a joyful time.
The Lantern Festival is also called the Festival of Lanterns. The custom of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival began in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, lantern viewing activities became more prosperous. Lanterns were hung everywhere in the palace and on the streets, and tall lantern wheels were built. Lantern towers and lantern trees, Lu Zhaolin, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, once described the grand occasion of lighting lanterns during the Lantern Festival in "Watching Lanterns on the Fifteenth Night" as follows: "The stars are falling, leaning against the tower like the moon is hanging."
Updates from the Song Dynasty Paying attention to the Lantern Festival, the lantern viewing activities are more lively. The lantern viewing activities last for five days and the styles of lanterns are also more abundant. In the Ming Dynasty, lantern viewing lasted for 10 consecutive days, making this the longest lantern festival in China. Although the lantern viewing event in the Qing Dynasty only lasted for three days, it was very large-scale and unprecedentedly grand. In addition to lighting lanterns, fireworks were also set off to add to the fun.
"Guessing lantern riddles", also called "playing lantern riddles", is an activity added after the Lantern Festival and appeared in the Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin'an, the capital, made riddles during the Lantern Festival, and many people guessed riddles. In the beginning, the good guys wrote riddles on slips of paper and pasted them on colorful lanterns for people to guess. Because riddles can enlighten wisdom and are interesting, they are very popular among all walks of life in the process of spreading.
It is a folk custom to eat Yuanxiao during the Lantern Festival. Yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice, either solid or stuffed. The fillings include bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, various fruit materials, etc. It can be boiled, fried, steamed or fried. At first, people called this food "Fuyuanzi", and later called it "Tangtuan" or "Tangyuan". These names have similar pronunciations to the word "Tuanyuan", which means reunion, symbolizing the reunion, harmony and happiness of the whole family. People also call it "Tuanyuan". This memory of the departed relatives expresses good wishes for future life.
The Lantern Festival in some places also has the custom of "walking all diseases", also known as "roasting all diseases" and "scattering all diseases". Most of the participants are women, and they walk together or along the wall. Or cross the bridge or walk in the suburbs, the purpose is to drive away diseases and eliminate disasters.
As time goes by, more and more activities are held during the Lantern Festival. Many local festivals include traditional folk performances such as dragon lantern dancing, lion dancing, stilt walking, land boat rowing, Yangko dancing, and peace drum playing. This traditional festival, which has been passed down for more than 2,000 years, is not only popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also celebrated year after year in overseas Chinese communities.
(asking for a big reward)