Discover the legendary origins of the lantern festival that is celebrated during the Chinese New Year.
Yuan Xiao is the Chinese lantern festival that is celebrated during the time of the New Year. Lantern is a significant symbol associated with the Chinese New Year. Yuan word is derived from the year’s first month and word Xiao comes from the word night as related to, by the Chinese people.
Fifteen days after entering the New Year, when the first full moon night is observed, the lantern festival is celebrated that night. It is to celebrate the joyful atmosphere when the first full moon of the New Year is seen shining brightly. Chinese people get together at the festival site and together they hold their lanterns up trying to create a beautifully lit up surrounding.
There are many intricacies involve with Chinese lanterns. These are no ordinary lanterns rather they can be an extremely engaging item once you begin to indulge in the puzzles that are often featured on the lanterns. The eating of glutinous rice balls also goes along with the lantern celebrations which are shared amongst friends and families.
The origins of the lantern tradition
The legend that is most well-known linked with the Lantern New Year event is that, God Taiyi who reigned over the heavens in the ancient era was prayedby the people in this festival. This is one of the many mythologies associated with the traditional New Year lantern festival.
Being the god of heaven it was supposed that he controlled the entire luck of the human world. The power to impose punishment through natural disasters or medical epidemics was attributed to this god. The emperor who first started the tradition of holding a ceremony to please Taiyi was Qinshihuang. There ceremonies were held in order to gain the good pleasure of Taiyi and avoid the risk of natural disasters.
With time the ceremony gained money and was highly sponsored during the Han dynasty. In fact it was during the rule of the emperor Wudi that the event became one of the most important ceremonies in China which would go on for the entire night.
However, the Taoists had something else to add to this legend and they believed that the tradition became popular under their influence. Apparently, the Taoist god Tianguan had the responsibility of good fortune of the Chinese people and had a strong attraction towards Chinese entertainment. In order to please him, they indulged in merry-making and celebrating on the streets and performing.
The origin of the day of lighting lanterns was apparently discovered by King Mingdi, as a different story says. This story states that he was under Buddhist influence and one dream had led to the extraordinary choice of the fifteenth day of the New Year as the day to celebrate the event of lighting lanterns.
The lantern festival is one of the special events held as a part of the Chinese New Year celebrations no matter which part of the legend is genuine. These lanterns are interestingly designed with unique Chinese motifs.
Making a Chinese new years lantern can be a creative means of involving childrenin their heritage. For information about other aspects of the celebrations, including Chinese new year fireworks, please follow the links.
