Lantern Festival lanterns are hung all over the streets, including pumpkin lanterns, rabbit lanterns and so on.

Lantern Festival lanterns are hung all over the streets, including pumpkin lanterns, rabbit lanterns, lantern lanterns and knife-closing lanterns.

1. The lantern

The lantern is called Pan Guo Lantern (Qin and Han Dynasties), Fairy Candle and Heron Lantern (Tang Dynasty) and Horse Riding Lantern (Song Dynasty) in ancient times. It is also one of the traditional holiday toys and belongs to lanterns. It is common in festivals such as Yuanxi, Yuanxiao and Mid-Autumn Festival. A candle is lit in the lamp, and the heat generated by the candle causes airflow, which makes the axle rotate.

There are paper-cuts on the axle, and the shadow of paper-cuts is projected on the screen by candlelight, and the image keeps moving. Because many pictures of ancient military commanders riding horses are drawn on all sides of the lamp, it looks as if several people are chasing each other when the lamp rotates, so it is named the lantern. The candle in the lantern needs to be cut into small pieces. When you put it in the lantern, you should put it straight and never put it sideways.

2. The knife-closing lamp

The knife-closing lamp is made according to the legendary dragon crescent moon blade used by Guan Gong before his death. It travels with lanterns and rabbit lanterns, which is a metaphor for protecting peace. The custom of touring lanterns here has a history of 4-5 years. From the 13th to 15th night of the first month, from Qianmen Village to Chudeng Village, it traveled all over the four villages.

Origin of Lantern Festival Lantern Festival

During the reign of Emperor Yongping of Han Dynasty (58-175 AD), because the Ming Emperor advocated Buddhism, it coincided with Cai Cheng's return from India to seek Buddhism, saying that on the fifteenth day of the first month in Mohatuo, India, monks gathered to pay tribute to Buddhist relics, which was an auspicious day to participate in Buddhism.

In order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Hanming ordered "burning lanterns to show Buddha" in the palace and temple on the 15th night of the first month. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the fifteenth night of the first month has gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

It is also said that the Lantern Festival originated from the Torch Festival. In the Han Dynasty, people held torches in rural fields to drive away insects and beasts, hoping to reduce pests and pray for a good harvest. To this day, people in some areas in southwest China still make torches out of reeds or branches on the fifteenth day of the first month, and hold them high in groups and dance in fields or grain drying fields. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been in full swing.

tens of thousands of people took part in the song and dance, from faint to dull. With the changes of society and times, the customs of Lantern Festival have changed greatly, but it is still a traditional folk festival in China.