The Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, the Little New Year, the Yuan Xi or the Lantern Festival, is one of the traditional festivals in China. Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people will enjoy lanterns, eat Lantern Festival, guess lantern riddles, set off fireworks, etc., on this day, and share the joy of reunion.
Among them, guessing lantern riddles is a traditional cultural activity with strong national characteristics, which can not only add to the festive atmosphere, but also enlighten wisdom, increase knowledge, and enhance friendship. So, how did the custom of guessing lantern riddles during the Lantern Festival come about? How did it evolve?
The origin of the lantern riddle can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. At that time, Lin'an (now Hangzhou), the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, was a bustling commercial city, and every Lantern Festival, a grand lantern festival would be held inside and outside the city, and all kinds of lanterns were dotted on the streets, bridges, temples, temples, and tile houses, and the lights were brilliant and beautiful. Some people write riddles on slips of paper and paste them on colorful lanterns for people to guess the riddles. Because riddles can enlighten wisdom and cater to the festive atmosphere, many people responded, and then guessing lantern riddles gradually became an indispensable program for the Lantern Festival.
Regarding the origin of the Lantern Festival lantern riddle, there is another folk theory, which believes that it originated from the "Shangyuan Lantern Festival" in the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was a period of strong national strength and cultural prosperity in Chinese history, and Buddhism and Taoism also flourished. According to legend, in order to commemorate the divine transformation of the Buddha Shakyamuni, Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, ordered to "burn lamps to show the Buddha" in the palace and the temple on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month. Later, this custom also spread to the people, and on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, whether it is the capital or a small village, people will put up lanterns and set off lanterns to celebrate. Some lanterns will also hang riddles for people to guess, which is the prototype of the Lantern Festival lantern riddles.
The custom of guessing lantern riddles during the Lantern Festival gradually spread after the Song Dynasty and became one of the important activities of the Lantern Festival. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the custom of guessing lantern riddles became more prevalent, and the types and forms of riddles became more colorful. Riddles are written on lanterns of various shapes, some are round, some are square, some are animals, some are utensils, and so on. Some lanterns are also equipped with mechanisms, so that the lanterns can rotate, open and close, and rise and fall, which increases the fun of the Lantern Festival. While guessing the lantern riddles, people will also enjoy the lanterns, set off fireworks, eat Lantern Festival, dance dragon lanterns, lion dances, step on stilts, row boats, etc., forming a lively and extraordinary festival atmosphere.
The custom of guessing lantern riddles during the Lantern Festival has not disappeared in modern times, but has been widely carried out among the people in various places. During the Lantern Festival, people will see all kinds of lantern riddles in the streets and alleys, and guessing lantern riddles has also become one of people's favorite festival activities. With the development of the times, the content and form of lantern riddles are also constantly innovating, some lantern riddles involve modern science and technology, social hotspots, celebrity anecdotes, etc., some lantern riddles are displayed with electronic screens, projectors, audio and other equipment, and some lantern riddles are also combined with the Internet, mobile phones, WeChat and other platforms for interaction, making the lantern riddles closer to the times and more attractive to people's participation.
Under the influence of urbanization and globalization, the lantern riddles of the Lantern Festival have gradually become international. Some countries and regions have also begun to adopt this ancient and interesting traditional event and incorporate it into their local cultural celebrations. This kind of cross-cultural communication makes the Lantern Festival riddle guessing more rich and diverse, and provides a platform for people from different cultural backgrounds to participate together.
Overall, as a traditional cultural activity, the Lantern Festival riddle guessing has undergone thousands of years of evolution and development, and has now become a traditional and modern, local and international joyful program. Through continuous innovation and integration, the Lantern Festival riddles have maintained their unique position in Chinese culture, while also showing their vitality to keep pace with the times.