The Lantern Festival, a traditional festival rich in cultural atmosphere, has always carried the emotions and memories of Chinese children. Since ancient times, the Lantern Festival has had folk activities such as welcoming lanterns and guessing lantern riddles, which not only contain rich cultural connotations, but also bring endless joy and surprises to people.
Tracing the origin of the lantern, we can find that it is closely related to ancient rituals to worship the gods. At that time, it was believed that the gods would descend on the night of the Lantern Festival, so they lit torches, lit lanterns, and held them high above their heads as a way to pay homage to the gods and pray for good fortune in the coming year. Over time, this ritual of worshiping the gods gradually evolved into a folk custom, and the lantern became an indispensable and important activity of the Lantern Festival.
The custom of guessing lantern riddles comes from the wisdom of ancient literati and inkmen. In the Song Dynasty, literati and artists were particularly fond of pasting notes with riddles on lanterns on the night of the Lantern Festival. In this way, they let people guess and solve the puzzle, which not only adds to the fun of the festival, but also tests people's wisdom and cultural literacy. With the passage of time, guessing lantern riddles gradually spread among the people and became the most intelligent and interesting part of the Lantern Festival activities.
In addition to welcoming lanterns and guessing lantern riddles, there are many other traditional customs of the Lantern Festival. For example, eating glutinous rice balls, dragon and lion dances, etc. These customs not only show the profound heritage of Chinese culture, but also reflect people's yearning and pursuit of a better life. In this era of rapid change, the traditional customs of the Lantern Festival are constantly developing and innovating. However, no matter how the form changes, its core cultural connotation and spiritual value remain the same, and they will continue to be passed on and become a valuable cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.