The Lantern Festival, the 15th Lantern Festival of the first lunar month, also known as the "Shangyuan Festival", "Shangyuan Festival", is one of the traditional festivals of the Han nationality and some fraternal ethnic groups in China, and is also one of the traditional festivals of the Chinese character cultural circle and overseas Chinese.

The traditional Lantern Festival of the Han people began in the Qin Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty ordered that the fifteenth day of the first lunar month be designated as the Lantern Festival. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities of the "Taiyi God" were set on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. (Taiyi: God who rules all things in the universe). When Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", he had already identified the Lantern Festival as a major festival.

The first month of the first month is the first month of the lunar calendar, the ancients called the night "night", and the fifteenth day is the first full moon night of the year, so the fifteenth day of the first month is called the Lantern Festival. Also known as the Little New Year, Yuan Xi or Lantern Festival, it is the first important festival after the Spring Festival.

In the ancient customs of the Han nationality, the Shangyuan Festival (Lantern Festival), the Zhongyuan Festival (Bon Festival), and the Xiayuan Festival (Shuiguan Festival) are collectively called Sanyuan, which are all very traditional and important festivals.

Legend has it that the Lantern Festival was set up to commemorate "Pinglu" during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. After the death of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Ying, the son of Empress Lü, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Hui was cowardly and indecisive, and the power gradually fell into the hands of Empress Lü.

After Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty died of illness, Empress Lu monopolized the government and turned the Liu family into the Lu family's world, and the old ministers in the court, the Liu clan were deeply indignant, but they were afraid of the cruelty of the Empress Lu and dared to be angry and did not dare to speak.

After Empress Lü fell ill and died, Zhu Lü was terrified and feared being hurt and ostracized. So, he secretly gathered at the house of General Lu Lu and conspired to cause chaos in order to completely seize the Liu family.

This matter reached the ears of Liu Xiang, the king of Qi of the Liu clan, Liu Xiang decided to raise an army to fight against Zhu Lu in order to protect the Liu family, and then got in touch with the founding ministers Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, and designed to relieve Lu Lu, and the "Zhu Lu Rebellion" was finally completely quelled.

After the rebellion, the ministers supported Liu Bang's second son, Liu Heng, to ascend the throne and called Emperor Wen of Han. Emperor Wen deeply felt that the peaceful and prosperous era was not easy to come by, so he set the fifteenth day of the first month to quell the "Zhulu Rebellion" as the joy with the people, and every family in the capital put up lanterns to celebrate.

Since then, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has become a folk festival celebrated by the whole world - "Lantern Festival".

Of course, there are many theories about the origin of the Lantern Festival, and there are many myths and legends, so I won't tell them all here. However, here we can talk about the legends and legends of the Lantern Festival lanterns:

Legend: Legend has it that a long, long time ago, there were many fierce birds and beasts, hurting people and livestock everywhere, people organized to fight them, there was a mythical bird because it got lost and landed in the world, but was accidentally shot to death by an unwitting hunter.

When the Emperor of Heaven found out, he was very angry, and immediately issued an edict, ordering the heavenly soldiers to set fire to the world on the fifteenth day of the first month, and burn all the people, animals and property in the world. The daughter of the Emperor of Heaven was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the innocent suffering of the people, so she risked her life and secretly drove auspicious clouds to the world and told the people the news. When everyone heard the news, it was like a scorching thunder sounding on their heads, and they were so frightened that they didn't know what to do.

After a long time, an old man came up with a plan, he said: "On the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth days of the first lunar month, every family puts up lanterns, lights firecrackers, and sets off fireworks at home. In this way, the Emperor of Heaven would think that the people were burned to death. ”

Everyone nodded yes and went their separate ways. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Emperor of Heaven looked down and found that there was a red light in the world, and the sound shook the sky, and it was like this for three consecutive nights, thinking that it was the flames of the fire, and his heart was happy. In this way, people saved their lives and property. In order to commemorate this success, every 15th day of the first lunar month, every household hangs lanterns and sets off fireworks to commemorate this day.

Residence: When worshipping God on Chinese New Year's Eve, people should set up a "Heaven and Earth Hall". People set up a small shed in the courtyard, and on the small table in the shed stood the god seat of "Heaven and Earth, Three Realms, Ten Directions, Ten Directions, and Ten Thousand Spirits"; In front of the shrine, there is an incense burner, offerings, and a lantern, which represents the seat of Jiang Taigong. It is said that when Jiang Taigong was a god, everyone else was sealed, but he forgot to seal himself, and he had no seat so he had to sit with God.

The lantern is associated with the gods, so it also gives a lot of symbolic meaning.

In ancient times, in order to expel the fear of darkness, lanterns were derived from the meaning of exorcism, blessings, and prayers for light.

In Hokkien language, the pronunciation of "lamp" and "ding" is similar, so the lantern is also used to seek a son to add a ding, seek fame, and seek to avoid evil and peace.

There is a kind of "light lantern" in which lanterns are placed in temples at the end of the year and the beginning of the year to ensure that the Buddha's Dharma is safe and smooth throughout the year.

There are also farmers who set up long bamboo poles in the fields and hang a lantern to "shine on the silkworms" to observe the color of the fire to predict the flood and drought conditions of the year, in the hope of a good year.

The reason for "putting off the sky lantern" is that in the past, after people fled in all directions to avoid the invasion of bandits, they used the sky lantern as a signal to report their safety to each other. Since the Lantern Festival is celebrated every year on this day, people celebrate it with the ceremony of putting the sky lantern on this day, so it is also called the "blessing lantern" or "peace lantern". Since then, it has gradually evolved into a folk custom activity of praying to the heavens and making wishes. The sky lantern is full of various wishes written in the heart, hoping that the sky lantern can reach the heavens and bring infinite hope and light.

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There are many kinds of lanterns for the Lantern Festival, or the image lamps prepared in imitation of the image of things, such as dragon lanterns, tiger lanterns, rabbit lanterns, etc., or activity lamps compiled according to folk tales, such as the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, Twenty-four Filial Piety, etc., to express the national spirit of loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness. All kinds of lanterns are made skillfully, showing the wisdom and skills of craftsmen.

With the development of the times, the Lantern Festival has become more and more grand, the national characteristics have become stronger and stronger, and the time of the Lantern Festival has become longer and longer. The lantern festival in the Tang Dynasty was one before and after the Shangyuan Dynasty, three days; In the Song Dynasty, two days were added after the sixteenth, which was five days; In the Ming Dynasty, it was extended to ten days from the eighth to the eighteenth day of the first month. Because the lantern period is different, the day when the lamp is first put on is called "trial lamp", the fifteenth day is called "positive lamp", and the last day is called "residual lamp" and "lamp". It is also called "magic lamp", "human lamp", and "ghost lamp". The fourteenth night is the "magic lamp", which is placed in front of the shrine and ancestral hall at home to worship the ancestors of the gods; On the fifteenth night, it is called "human lamp", which is placed in doors and windows, bed sheets, several cases, etc., to avoid scorpions; The sixteenth night is the "ghost lamp", which is placed in the mound tomb and the field, so that the wandering soul can get out of the ghost domain.

Pray for the will of heaven, protect the common people, gods, people, ghosts, and animals, and leave nothing out

Poor Dao got so many words about the Lantern Festival, and the meaning is not only to scratch it, but more importantly, what to say next.

The Lantern Festival is also a romantic festival in the traditional Chinese festival, the Lantern Festival will provide an opportunity for unmarried men and women to meet in the feudal traditional society, young girls in the traditional society are not allowed to go out to move freely, but the festival can go out to play together, the Lantern Festival is just an opportunity to socialize, unmarried men and women can also find objects for themselves by viewing the lanterns. During the Lantern Festival, it is another time for young men and women to meet their lovers. Therefore, the Lantern Festival can be said to be an authentic Chinese Valentine's Day, not the Qixi Daughter's Day that some people superficially conjecture.

Tanabata is supposed to have been said to be Valentine's Day since modern times.

Now in Taiwan, there is also the traditional custom of an unmarried woman surnamed stealing green onions or vegetables on the night of the Lantern Festival to marry a good husband, commonly known as: "stealing green onions, marrying a good lady", "stealing vegetables, marrying a good son-in-law", girls who hope to have a happy marriage, will go to the vegetable garden on the night of the Lantern Festival to steal green onions or vegetables, looking forward to the future family happiness.

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As soon as it got dark, Li Ran pulled Li Lizhen into a carriage and went to the West Market, Li Ran planned to take Li Lizhen to visit the West Market now, and he didn't come to the East Market until it got dark.

The Dongshi Lantern Festival was arranged by Li Fatzi and Li Ke together, and after a few days of busyness, the two basically completed Li Ran's requirements.

The two not only arranged lantern riddles, but also arranged for some people to make huge lantern wheels, lantern trees, lampposts, etc., and the fire trees and silver flowers all over the city were very prosperous and lively. Don't think that's all, there are also "hundred opera" content such as lion dance, running dry boats, stepping on stilts, and twisting Yangge.

Although the program is richer, but due to the short preparation time, the quality of the program is a little worse, but it doesn't matter, all these arrangements are destined to be different from the past this Lantern Festival, and this Lantern Festival will also be destined to be remembered by everyone!

Li Ran and Li Lizhi each carried a lantern that was exchanged by the system, although the shape of this lantern was a little simpler, but it had a terrible name - Zhaoshi Ming Lantern.

On this night of lanterns, the two shining lights are like the sun and the moon in the sky, exuding a soft light, illuminating the lost world and illuminating the road of life!

Li Ran and the two were followed by Xiao Wanrong and the coachman Zhao Hu, although Xiao Wanrong was also carrying a good lantern in her hand, she still looked at Li Lizhen with envy. Hey, the opportunity of life is like this, I was born before I was born, and I was old when I was born.

Zhao Hu on the side kept sighing: "It is worthy of the prince, he is so windy wherever he goes!" ”

Maybe there were too many people and Li Lizhi was a little uncomfortable, so she said to Li Ran: "Brother Xianzhi, let's find the queen mother."

Li Ran nodded in agreement: "Let's go, they should not be far from here"

Soon, the four of them came to Li Shimin's eldest grandson, and at this time, Li Shimin was praising Li Fatzi and Li Ke on the side: "Yes, this Lantern Festival is the most interesting and joyful Lantern Festival ever."

Li Fatzi said modestly: "It's all the credit of the immortals, and my second brother and I are running errands."

Li Ke slapped Li Shimin's ass: "This is also the national peace and security of the country governed by the emperor and the emperor, otherwise there would not be such a prosperous scene even if there are many tricks"

Although Li Shimin was a little proud when he heard this, he still said very self-awarely: "What Weide said is a bit too much, if it weren't for Li Ran, an immortal, who lives in Chang'an, those traitors would not have surrendered so quickly, and Datang would not have stabilized so quickly."

As soon as Li Shimin's words fell, he heard Li Ran's voice coming: "Li Er, this is the first sentence I heard you say when I came to Datang, but this is a bit unlike you, why do you have to use me as a foil, so that you can elevate you."

Li Shimin's face darkened when he heard Li Ran's words, and when he saw Li, he said unhappily: "Li Ran, you will also have some fun, you are at this level, you said that you call me this father-in-law what is good about you"

Angry and despised, Li Ran said angrily: "Li Er, what do you mean, say that I am uneducated, right, tell you, poetry and songs, I won't be able to do it if it's not a master, it's really a low-key master, and the master will be high-profile, and I'll give you a whole thing in minutes."

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