The Lantern Festival, also known as the Shangyuan Festival, the Lantern Festival or the Little New Year, is one of the traditional Chinese festivals and is usually celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The Lantern Festival has a long history and rich cultural connotations.
The origin of the Lantern Festival can be traced back to ancient sacrificial activities. According to legend, during the Han Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was a festival used to worship the gods and ancestors. Later, the festival gradually evolved into a family reunion festival, where people would enjoy tangyuan together, symbolizing reunion and happiness.
In addition, the Lantern Festival is also closely related to Chinese folklore. One of the most famous stories is the legend of Chang'e running to the moon. Legend has it that in ancient times there was a great plague that lasted for ten days, and later it was learned that as long as you eat a medicine called "Lantern Festival", you can avoid suffering from the plague. So, people cooked a lot of Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the plague really disappeared. In order to commemorate the joy of this day, customs such as eating lanterns and appreciating lanterns were later formed.
In general, as a traditional Chinese festival, the Lantern Festival carries rich cultural connotations and historical heritage, and is one of the important cultural traditions of the Chinese nation.