What are the legends about the Lantern Festival?

Legends about the Lantern Festival include: lighting lanterns, Dong Fangshuo and the Lantern Festival girl, commemorating Pinglu, Torch Festival, worshipping Buddha in Ming Di, Shangyuan Festival and so on. There are various legends about the Lantern Festival since ancient times, among which three are widely circulated. One of them is that the Lantern Festival was established by Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty to commemorate the Pinglu Rebellion. The second legend is that the Lantern Festival, also known as the "Shangyuan Festival", is the first time people celebrate the night of the full moon in a year. The third legend is that Lantern Festival originated from Torch Festival.

Legend 1: Lighting lanterns

In China, there is a folk custom of putting lanterns on the Lantern Festival every year. Why is the Lantern Festival lit? In Buddhist teachings, fire is compared to the divine power of the Buddha, and the so-called "infinite flame shines endlessly." Light has two wonderful uses: one is to break the darkness of the world; The second is to show the Buddha's light and destroy all the troubles of all beings. In the Tang Dynasty, cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries became closer, Buddhism flourished, and Buddhists from the West widely publicized the "magic lamp", so Buddha lamps spread all over the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become a legal thing and has gradually become a folk custom.

Legend 2: Dong Fangshuo and the Lantern Festival girl

This legend is related to the custom of eating Yuanxiao: According to legend, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a favorite named Dong Fangshuo, who was kind and funny. One winter, it snowed heavily for several days, and Dong Fangshuo went to the Imperial Garden to fold plum blossoms for Emperor Wu. As soon as I entered the garden gate, I found a maid-in-waiting named Yuanxiao in tears, ready to throw herself into the well. Dong Fangshuo expressed deep sympathy for her suffering and assured her that she would try her best to reunite with her family. ?

Dong Fangshuo left the palace and set up a divination pavilion on Chang 'an Avenue. Many people are scrambling to find him for divination. Unexpectedly, what everyone wants is the signature of "burning us on the 16th day of the first month". Suddenly, there was a panic in Chang 'an. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard about this incident, he informed the people outside the city that he would go to the city to see the lanterns on the fifteenth night, and he would mingle with the crowd to eliminate disasters and solve problems. On the fifteenth day of the first month, Chang 'an City was decorated with colorful lights, and the tourists were bustling and very lively. The parents of the maid-in-waiting Yuanxiao also took their sister to the city to see the lights.

When they saw the big palace lantern with the words "Yuanxiao" written on it, they shouted in surprise: "Yuanxiao! Lantern Festival! " When Yuanxiao heard the shouts, she was finally reunited with her relatives at home. After such a busy night, Chang 'an was safe. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed and ordered that glutinous rice balls should be made for Vulcan every year on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of the first month, the whole city was decorated with lanterns and set off fireworks. Because jiaozi cooked by Yuanxiao is the best, this day is called Lantern Festival.

Legend 3: Torch Festival

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China since ancient times. It is said that the Lantern Festival began in ancient times when people held torches in rural fields to drive away insects and wild animals, hoping to reduce pests and pray for a bumper harvest. To this day, people in some areas in southwest China still use reeds or branches as torches on the 15th day of the first month, and hold high in groups to 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 singing and dancing, from faint to dark. With the changes of society and times, the custom of Lantern Festival has changed greatly, but it is still a traditional folk festival in China.

Legend 4: Emperor Ming respects Buddha.

When Emperor Hanming came to lecture in the East, Morten Zhuflange ordered Emperor Hanming to put up lanterns at 15 o'clock in the first month of the Buddha's transition, and personally went to the temple to decorate the lanterns to show his respect for the Buddha. Since then, putting lanterns on the Lantern Festival has become a common custom.

Legend 5: Shangyuan Festival

Shangyuan means the first full moon night of the New Year. The gods worshipped by Wudou Midao are Tianguan, Diguan and Shuiguan. It is said that the gods bless the people, the Diguan forgives sins, and the Shuiguan releases Eritrea. The three officials are matched with three yuan. It is said that Shangyuan Tianguan was born on the fifteenth day of the first month, Zhongyuan was born on the fifteenth day of July, and Xia Yuan was born on the fifteenth day of October. The statement that the three officials are in charge of the three-dimensional day was first seen in the ancient Lingbao Sutra "The Three-dimensional Product of Lingbao in Tai Shang Huang Dong Xuan" at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the beginning of Liu Song Dynasty.

According to the "three officials" and the time of seasonal climate, the fifteenth day of the first month is designated as Shangyuan, the fifteenth day of July as Zhongyuan and the fifteenth day of October as Xia Yuan, which are collectively called Sanyuan. In this way, the fifteenth day of the first month is called Shangyuan Festival. Wu in the Southern Song Dynasty said in Dream: "The fifteenth day of the first month is the birthday of the people of Shangyuan who are blessed by God."

The origin of Lantern Festival

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, and the formation of Lantern Festival custom has a long process, which is rooted in the folk custom of turning on lights to pray. Generally, turning on the light for blessing begins on the 14th night of the first month, and the 15th night is "positive light". People light lanterns, also known as "sending lanterns", and carry out activities of offering sacrifices to gods and praying for blessings.

The introduction of Buddhist culture in the Eastern Han Dynasty also played an important role in promoting the formation of Lantern Festival customs. During the Yongping period of Emperor Hanming, in order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Hanming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in palaces and temples on the fifteenth night of the first month. Therefore, the custom of burning lanterns on the 15th night of the first month was gradually spread in China with the expansion of the influence of Buddhist culture and the addition of Taoist culture.

Refer to the above? Baidu Encyclopedia-Lantern Festival