What are the customs of the Lantern Festival? Why is the Lantern Festival called the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, with traditional folk activities such as viewing lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, guessing lantern riddles, and setting off fireworks. Yuanxiao is eaten on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Yuanxiao as a food has a long history in my country. These are just some of the customs. There are more. Do you know?

Contents of this article

1. What are the customs of the Lantern Festival?

2. Why is the Lantern Festival called the Lantern Festival?

3. The meaning of the Lantern Festival

What are the customs of the Lantern Festival?

The customs of the Lantern Festival include eating Lantern Festival dumplings, playing with lanterns, guessing lantern riddles, playing with dragon lanterns, walking on stilts, dancing lions, rowing land boats, offering sacrifices to the door and the door, chasing away rats, welcoming Zi Gu, and getting rid of all diseases, etc. The festival period and festival activities of the Lantern Festival have been extended and expanded with the development of history.

The Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month is called Yuanxiao. Yuanxiao as a food has a long history in my country. In the Song Dynasty, a novel food was popular among the people to eat during the Lantern Festival. This food was first called "Fuyuanzi" and later called "Yuanxiao". Businessmen also called it "Yuanbao".

Playing with lanterns is a traditional festival custom of the Lantern Festival, which began in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the custom of playing with lanterns was very popular and has been passed down to the present day.

Guessing lantern riddles, also known as playing lantern riddles, is a traditional folk cultural and entertainment form unique to China with rich national style. It is a special activity of the Lantern Festival that has been passed down since ancient times.

Why is the Lantern Festival called the Lantern Festival?

The first month of the lunar calendar is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients also called "night" "xiao". The fifteenth day of the first month is the first full moon night of the year, so the fifteenth day of the first month is called "Lantern Festival". According to the Taoist "Three Yuans", it is also called "Shangyuan Festival". The Lantern Festival has been celebrated with a warm and festive atmosphere since ancient times.

According to records, Buddhism flourished during the Tang Dynasty, and officials and common people generally "lit lanterns to worship Buddha" on the Lantern Festival. Buddhist lanterns were spread throughout the people, so since the Tang Dynasty, hanging lanterns on the Lantern Festival has become a legal matter.

The Lantern Festival is also called the "Lantern Festival" because of the folk customs of hanging lanterns, carrying lanterns, and appreciating lanterns.

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, with traditional folk activities mainly including viewing lanterns, eating rice dumplings, guessing lantern riddles, and setting off fireworks.

The meaning of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival symbolizes family reunion, happiness, and family reunion, and it means praying for a smooth new year.

Eating "Yuanxiao" during the Lantern Festival symbolizes family reunion like the full moon, and expresses people's good wishes for their future life.

"Sending lanterns" on the Lantern Festival is abbreviated as "sending lanterns", and its actual meaning is sending lanterns to children.

Inserting willow branches into doors during the Lantern Festival symbolizes the growth of yang energy.