The origin of Lantern Festival Why do we light lanterns during the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival is also known as the "Festival of Lights". During the Lantern Festival, people have the custom of hanging lanterns for viewing. So what is the origin of hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival? When did the custom of hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival begin? Why do we hang lanterns during the Lantern Festival?

The Origin of Lantern Festival

Hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival is a common custom in my country, but there are still different opinions about its origin. There is a legend about the origin of lanterns. According to legend, a long time ago, there were many ferocious birds and beasts that hurt people and livestock everywhere, so people organized to eliminate them. It is said that at that time a divine bird landed on the earth because it got lost, but was accidentally shot to death by an unsuspecting hunter. When the Jade Emperor found out, he was very angry, and immediately issued an order, ordering the heavenly soldiers to set fire to the human world on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and burn all the human, animal and property in the world. The Jade Emperor's daughter was kind-hearted and could not bear to see innocent people suffer, so she risked her life and secretly came to the human world on a auspicious cloud to tell people the news. When everyone heard the news, it was like a thunderclap on their heads. They were so scared that they didn't know what to do. After a long time, an old man finally came up with a solution. The old man said: "On the 14th, 15th and 16th days of the first lunar month, every household should decorate their homes with lanterns, light firecrackers and set off fireworks. In this way, the Emperor of Heaven will think that people have been burned to death." Everyone nodded in agreement and went to prepare separately. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Jade Emperor looked down and found a red light and a deafening sound on earth. He thought it was the flame of a big fire, and he was very happy. In this way, people saved their lives and property. From then on, every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every household hangs lanterns and sets off fireworks to express their gratitude to kind people.

In addition, some folk experts believe that the custom of hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival originated from the battle between Buddhism and Taoism. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Shemoteng and Zhu Falan came to my country to preach and were criticized by Taoists. Therefore, Shemoteng and Zhu Falan decided to compete with the Taoist priests in the palace. Shemoteng and Zhu Falan burned the sutras and statues with fire, but the sutras and statues remained intact and shone brightly. When Emperor Ming saw this, he felt that Buddhism was immeasurable, so he ordered that lanterns be lit on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day when the Buddha performed a miraculous transformation, to symbolize the great brightness of Buddhism. Later, Buddhism flourished, and Buddhist monks actively encouraged people to light lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, believing that the act of lighting lanterns would bring immeasurable merit. In this way, Buddhist lanterns gradually spread among the people, and the custom of hanging lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was formed.

The custom of hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival: Taoist interpretation

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Taoism had the custom of lighting lanterns to worship the "Taiyi God". The Taiyi God is similar to what later generations call "Emperor of Heaven" or "God". Zhu Bian of the Southern Song Dynasty said in "Quwei Old News": The Lantern Festival is a tradition that dates back to the Tang Dynasty, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty lit up the Taiyi Temple from dusk to dawn. However, according to "Records of the Grand Historian·Book of Music", there is no mention of lighting bright lanterns for the worship of Taiyi, and there is no record of folk hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival in the Western Han Dynasty. Therefore, Song Hongmai pointed out in "Rong Zhai Sui Bi" that this statement is unreliable. Ming Langying's "Qixiu Leigao" also believed that the Lantern Festival originated from Taoism in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was said that the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was the day when the Three Officials descended to the earth, and each of the Three Officials had different preferences: the Heavenly Official liked music, the Earthly Official liked people, and the Water Official liked lanterns, so the Lantern Festival required the lighting of lanterns and indulge in joy.

The custom of hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival: Buddhist interpretation

The theory that it originated from Buddhism holds that the hanging of lanterns during the Lantern Festival is related to the introduction of Buddhism to the East during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cai Yin obtained Buddhism from India, and Moteng Zhu Falan came to the East to preach. Emperor Ming of Han ordered to light lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day when the Buddha performed miracles, and he personally went to the temple to light lanterns to show his worship to the Buddha. According to the "Brief History of Monks", the Buddha Shakyamuni displayed his miraculous powers and subdued demons on December 30th in the West, which is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the East. To commemorate the Buddha's miraculous powers, a lantern-lighting ceremony is held on this day. In order to promote Buddhism, Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty ordered that on the Lantern Festival, everyone, regardless of whether they were nobles or commoners, should hang lanterns to show their respect and piety to Buddhism. From then on, hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival became a trend. From this, it can be seen that the custom of hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival originated from Buddhism and began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In this way, hanging lanterns during the Lantern Festival is both a religious ritual and a folk custom. Afterwards, the Lantern Festival was loved by the people for its lively spectacle of "fire trees and silver flowers" and the free atmosphere of "no restraint by the imperial guards", so its religious color gradually faded.