Featured image of post Why is there the Lantern Festival? What are the other names for the Lantern Festival? What is the relationship between the Lantern Festival and the Spring Festival? Which regions celebrate the Lantern Festival? The Lantern Festival includes eating yuanxiao, tangyuan, lantern fairs, guessing lantern riddles, releasing sky lanterns, walking bridges, listening to incense, and inviting peach blossoms, reflecting people's expectations for reunion, happiness, and a good life, with the core meaning always revolving around reunion and blessings!

Why is there the Lantern Festival? What are the other names for the Lantern Festival? What is the relationship between the Lantern Festival and the Spring Festival? Which regions celebrate the Lantern Festival? The Lantern Festival includes eating yuanxiao, tangyuan, lantern fairs, guessing lantern riddles, releasing sky lanterns, walking bridges, listening to incense, and inviting peach blossoms, reflecting people's expectations for reunion, happiness, and a good life, with the core meaning always revolving around reunion and blessings!

Why is there the Lantern Festival? What are the other names for the Lantern Festival? What is the relationship between the Lantern Festival and the Spring Festival? Which regions celebrate the Lantern Festival? The Lantern Festival includes eating yuanxiao, tangyuan, lantern fairs, guessing lantern riddles, releasing sky lanterns, walking bridges, listening to incense, and inviting peach blossoms, reflecting people's expectations for reunion, happiness, and a good life, with the core meaning always revolving around reunion and blessings!

Photo by Melanie Magdalena on Unsplash

Why is there the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival is not only the end of the Spring Festival celebrations but also a time for making wishes and praying for blessings. People believe that doing good deeds and worshiping deities on this day can bring good luck and blessings for the coming year. Therefore, the Lantern Festival is regarded as an important moment of new hopes for the new year.

Reason Explanation
Agricultural Prayers The Lantern Festival was originally a day for farmers to pray for a good harvest, with the full moon on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month symbolizing the beginning of spring, and farmers would hold sacrificial activities to pray for a good harvest.
Influence of Taoism and Buddhism During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Lantern Festival combined with the sacrificial activities of Taoism and Buddhism, with the custom of lighting lamps to worship the Taiyi deity starting during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, later influenced by Buddhism.
Family Reunion The Lantern Festival symbolizes family reunion, where people gather to eat tangyuan (yuanxiao), representing reunion and happiness.
Continuation of Social Culture Over time, the Lantern Festival gradually evolved into an important folk festival, with diverse celebrations across regions, becoming part of social culture.
Legends Legends related to the Lantern Festival, such as the story of Dongfang Shuo saving the Lantern Girl, add cultural connotations and significance to the festival.

Other Names of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, usually celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This day marks the first full moon of the lunar new year, symbolizing the arrival of spring and the meaning of reunion.

Name Explanation
Yuanxiao Refers to the tangyuan eaten on this day, symbolizing reunion and happiness.
Shangyuan Indicates the first full moon of the first lunar month, where the ancient term for the first month was “Yuan” and the night was “Xiao”.
Shangyuan Festival Same as “Shangyuan,” emphasizing the importance of this day, especially in Taoist culture.
Little New Year In some regions (like Japan), it is called Little New Year, indicating a small celebration of the lunar new year.
Mid-January Indicates the middle moment of the first lunar month, emphasizing the timing.
New Fifteenth Refers to the fifteenth day of the new year, emphasizing the importance of this day in new year celebrations.
Yuan Evening Represents the evening of the Lantern Festival, emphasizing the celebration activities and lantern fairs at night.
Little Year In some places, the Lantern Festival is seen as a continuation of the Little Year, symbolizing the end of the new year and a new beginning.
Lantern Festival Named for the custom of enjoying lanterns on this day, emphasizing the cultural significance of lanterns and lantern fairs.

Customs and Activities of the Lantern Festival

Tangyuan

Photo by zheng juan on Unsplash

Custom Activity Explanation
Eating Yuanxiao/Tangyuan On the Lantern Festival, people eat yuanxiao or tangyuan, symbolizing family reunion and completeness, signifying good wishes and a happy life.
Lantern Fair Families will light lamps and hang lanterns, holding lantern fairs to drive away evil and welcome the arrival of spring. These lanterns are usually beautifully decorated, attracting many visitors.
Guessing Lantern Riddles While enjoying the lanterns, people participate in guessing lantern riddles, which is a form of entertainment symbolizing wisdom and good fortune.
Releasing Sky Lanterns Especially in Taiwan, releasing sky lanterns is a popular activity where people write wishes on the sky lanterns and then release them into the sky to pray for peace and happiness.
Walking Bridges In some places, the custom is to walk bridges, symbolizing driving away illness and disasters, and praying for health.
Listening to Incense In the Minnan region, people will ask deities about their fortunes on Lantern Festival night, which is a form of divination.
Inviting Peach Blossoms This is a folk custom aimed at attracting love and peach blossom luck.

These customs and activities not only add to the festive atmosphere but also reflect people’s expectations for reunion, happiness, and a good life. The ways of celebrating the Lantern Festival vary by region, but the core meaning always revolves around reunion and blessings.

Symbols of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival has various symbols, each carrying specific cultural meanings and blessings. Below is a table of the main symbols of the Lantern Festival and their brief explanations:

Symbol Explanation
Tangyuan / Yuanxiao Tangyuan is the representative food of the Lantern Festival, symbolizing reunion and completeness, signifying family happiness and harmony. The name tangyuan sounds similar to “reunion,” emphasizing family gathering.
Lanterns Lanterns are widely used during the Lantern Festival, symbolizing light and hope, and used to drive away evil and misfortune. The holding of lantern fairs also represents people’s beautiful expectations for the future.
Tortoise In some places, the tortoise symbolizes longevity and good fortune, and people perform tortoise-asking activities during the Lantern Festival to seek peace and abundance for the coming year.
Dragon The dragon in Chinese culture is a symbol of power and good fortune, and the dragon dance commonly seen during the Lantern Festival is also to pray for good luck and prosperity.
Flower Lanterns Flower lanterns are not only decorations but also symbolize the inheritance of literature and art, showcasing folk wisdom and creativity, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Taboos of the Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival has many taboos, which are usually based on traditional beliefs and cultural customs aimed at seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Taboo Explanation
Avoid Borrowing Money Borrowing money will lend your good fortune to others, leading to a loss of financial luck.
Avoid Cutting Hair Cutting hair sounds like “fa,” symbolizing the cutting off of financial luck, which may affect wealth accumulation.
Avoid Killing The Lantern Festival is the birthday of Tian Guan Da Di, killing is not advisable to avoid angering the deities and bringing financial loss or bloodshed.
Avoid Quarreling Avoid arguments on the celebratory day to maintain family harmony and pray for good fortune in the coming year.
Avoid Empty Rice Jar An empty rice jar symbolizes a lack of food, which may affect the family’s financial luck and living standards.
Avoid Wearing Black and White Clothes Black and white are associated with mourning, wearing these colors may bring bad luck.
Avoid Dim Lighting at Home Keeping the home well-lit symbolizes a bright future, while dimness may represent an unclear future.
Avoid Moving Houses Moving houses may take away good fortune, affecting the family’s luck.
Avoid Hitting the House Hitting the house may knock away good fortune and wealth, affecting the family’s financial luck.
Avoid Eating Ice Eating ice may displease the cold deity, potentially affecting the inflow of financial luck.

These taboos reflect people’s emphasis on the Lantern Festival and their expectations for future fortunes. Although some taboos may stem from superstition, they are still traditional customs followed by many during the Lantern Festival celebration.

Legends of the Lantern Festival

Legend Explanation
Lantern Girl During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the palace maid Yuanxiao wanted to commit suicide due to missing her hometown. Dongfang Shuo helped her, planning to use tangyuan and lanterns to drive away evil and disasters, ultimately saving the people and making the Lantern Festival a day to celebrate reunion.
The Heavenly Emperor’s Divine Bird In legend, the Heavenly Emperor had a beloved divine bird that was shot by a hunter. The Heavenly Emperor decided to punish humanity by setting fire on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. To protect the people, the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter informed them in advance to use red lanterns and fireworks to confuse the Heavenly Emperor, making him mistakenly believe that the human world had been burned down.
Sun Wu and Lantern Riddles In legend, a man named Sun Wu used lanterns to write poems mocking the wealthy, which led to the custom of guessing lantern riddles. Every year during the Lantern Festival, people entertain themselves by guessing lantern riddles, which has become part of the festival.
Lanterns and Fireworks During the Lantern Festival, people hang lanterns and set off fireworks to commemorate the peace of avoiding the Heavenly Emperor’s punishment, symbolizing light and hope.

Which Regions Celebrate the Lantern Festival

Region Explanation
China As the birthplace of the Lantern Festival, various regions in China celebrate with activities including eating tangyuan, enjoying lanterns, and guessing lantern riddles. The Lantern Festival symbolizes the arrival of spring and family reunion.
Taiwan The Lantern Festival celebrations in Taiwan are very lively, featuring lantern fairs, sky lantern releases, and guessing lantern riddles, with unique local characteristics such as the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks.
Hong Kong In Hong Kong, colorful lantern parties are held during the Lantern Festival, along with the customs of eating tangyuan and ancestor worship, blending traditional and modern cultures.
Japan Influenced by Chinese culture, Japan celebrates the Lantern Festival on January 15 of the Gregorian calendar, known as “Little New Year,” with red bean porridge as the main food, symbolizing the avoidance of disasters.
South Korea In South Korea, they do not eat yuanxiao on the fifteenth day but instead eat five-grain rice, with traditional activities like burning moonlight houses, symbolizing health and the realization of new year wishes.
Malaysia The Chinese in Malaysia place great importance on the Lantern Festival, with customs like throwing tangerines and catching bananas, symbolizing the search for good relationships, and various celebrations are held.
Vietnam In Vietnam, the Lantern Festival is called the Shangyuan Festival, where families gather to eat the opening year meal and conduct blessing activities, emphasizing family reunion.
Singapore The Chinese community in Singapore decorates with flower lanterns during the Lantern Festival, visits temples for blessings, and enjoys colorful yuanxiao.
United States (San Francisco) San Francisco’s Chinatown holds a grand Lantern Festival parade every year, being one of the largest Chinese communities in North America, showcasing the vitality of Chinese culture.
Canada (Toronto) Toronto’s Chinatown holds dragon and lion dance performances during the Lantern Festival, attracting many tourists and showcasing the traditional culture of the Chinese community.

These regions and countries celebrate the Lantern Festival due to the influence of Chinese culture or the presence of Chinese communities, with their own unique ways of celebration and customs reflecting local cultural characteristics.

What is the Relationship between the Lantern Festival and the Spring Festival?

Spring Festival

The Lantern Festival is the last day of the Spring Festival, and this relationship stems from the concept of time and the continuation of celebratory activities in traditional Chinese culture.

Relationship Explanation
End of the Spring Festival The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Spring Festival celebrations, which generally last until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, starting from the Ming Dynasty.
Reunion and Blessings The Spring Festival is an important time for family reunions, while the Lantern Festival further emphasizes the meaning of reunion, where people eat tangyuan together on this day, symbolizing family happiness and completeness.
First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year The Lantern Festival is the first full moon after the Lunar New Year, symbolizing the arrival of spring, and this day is also regarded as an important moment of the new year.
Continuation of Cultural Customs The celebratory activities of the Lantern Festival, such as enjoying lanterns and guessing lantern riddles, are part of the customs during the Spring Festival, enhancing the connections between communities and families.
Little New Year The Lantern Festival is referred to as “Little New Year,” meaning that this day is still a continuation of the new year celebrations.

The Lantern Festival is not only the end of the Spring Festival celebrations but also an important moment for people to express their beautiful expectations for the new year.

Reference

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