What are the customs of Lantern Festival

Feb, 27. 2024 | 427 View

Lantern Festival customs: making lanterns, walking on stilts, eating yuanxiao, dancing lions, guessing lantern riddles, dragon lanterns, greeting purple nuns, fireworks, Yangge, playing Taiping drum, etc.

1. Make lanterns

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival custom, which began in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. After Sui and Tang dynasties, the wind of lights prevailed in the past dynasties and was passed down to later generations. On the fifteenth day of the first month, it is the climax of the annual fireworks and lanterns.

2. Walk on stilts

Stilt walking is a strong skill, lively and diverse form, because the actors walk on stilts higher than the average person, easy to watch far and near, and the flow is similar to the activity stage, so it is loved by the masses.

3. Eat Yuanxiao

Yuanxiao is eaten on the fifteenth day of the first month, and “yuanxiao” as a food has a long history in China. In the Song Dynasty, it was popular among the people to eat a novel food for Lantern Festival. This kind of food, first called “float yuan Zi” after the “Yuanxiao”, businessmen also beautiful name “Yuan treasure”. The north “roll” yuanxiao, the south “wrap” tangyuan, which is two kinds of food and taste are different.

4. Dance the lion

Dragon and lion dance is a traditional Chinese folk custom. Dragon dance is also known as playing dragon lantern, dragon lantern dance. Dragon is an ancient totem, legend of the dragon can travel clouds and rain, eliminate disasters and blessings, symbol of auspicious, so the way to pray for peace and harvest in the dragon dance has become a custom across the country.

5. Guess lantern riddles

Guessing lantern riddles, also known as playing lantern riddles, is a unique form of traditional folk entertainment activities rich in national style in China. It is a characteristic activity of Lantern Festival that has spread since ancient times.

6. Dragon Lantern

More than two thousand years of dragon lantern history, the interpretation of generations of dragon descendants accumulated rich skills of playing dragon lantern, giving birth to generations of dragon dancers. Every Spring Festival Lantern Festival, dragon lanterns dance wildly in the square, the momentum is very spectacular.

7. Welcome Zigu

Welcoming Zigu is a traditional Chinese folk activity. Zigu is a kind and poor girl in Chinese folklore. On the fifteenth day of the first month, Zigu died of poverty. The people sympathized with her, missed her, and somewhat conveniently appeared the custom of “welcoming Zigu on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.”