The Intricacies Of The Mandarin New Year Lanterns
Discover the historical origins of the lantern festival that is celebrated during the Chinese New Year.
The lantern is one of the most prominent symbols of the Chinese New Year. In fact there is an entire festival known as the Chinese lantern festival celebrated at the time of New Year. In colloquial lingo the festival is known as Yuan Xiao. It gets its name from the first month of the year which is called Yuan where as the second half of the name is what the ancient people used to refer to as night.
Fifteen days after entering the New Year, when the first full moon night is observed, the lantern festival is held that night. It is to celebrate the joyful atmosphere when the first full moon of the New Year is seen shining brightly. Chinese people get together at the festival site and together they hold their lanterns up trying to create a beautifully lit up surrounding.
Chinese lanterns are designed with great detailing. Often you would find puzzles featuring on them that would get you rather busy in solving them and they are hardly, normal lanterns! The lantern festival is accompanied by eating rice balls which are shared with closed ones during this season.
The origins of the lantern tradition
As is the case with many other traditional practices of China you will find a number of myths concerning the lantern New Year tradition. The most popular legend is related with the worship of a God known as Taiyi who was supposedly the ruler over the heavens in ancient times.
Being the god of heaven it was supposed that he controlled the entire fortune of the human world. The power to impose punishment through natural disasters or medical epidemics was attributed to this god. The emperor who first started the tradition of holding a ceremony to please Taiyi was Qinshihuang. There ceremonies were held in order to gain the good pleasure of Taiyi and avoid the risk of natural disasters.
As time went, the Han dynasty patronized the festival to please lord Taiyi to very great extent and with time the ceremony became popular. It was during the reign of the ruler Wudi that this event became the most significant in China and revelry went on for the entire night.
The story behind the lantern festival however had a different explanation too that said the Taoists influenced these celebrations. The fortune of the Chinese people was in the hands of the Taoist lord Tianguan, apparently, and he seemed to have taste for Chinese entertainment. Hence, the Chinese took to satisfying him by, celebrating on the streets and executing various performances to keep him happy.
There was another edge to this old history that said that the ceremony of lantern lighting was discovered by the emperor Mingdi. He was influenced by Buddhist preaching and also he had a dream that made him select the fifteenth day after the New Year date as the day of lantern lighting.
The lantern festival is one of the special events held as a part of the Chinese New Year celebrations no matter which part of the legend is genuine. These lanterns are interestingly designed with rare Chinese patterns.
The lantern is one of the most prominent symbols of the Chinese New Year. In fact there is an entire festival known as the Chinese lantern festival celebrated at the time of New Year. In colloquial lingo the festival is known as Yuan Xiao. It gets its name from the first month of the year which is called Yuan where as the second half of the name is what the ancient people used to refer to as night.
Fifteen days after entering the New Year, when the first full moon night is observed, the lantern festival is held that night. It is to celebrate the joyful atmosphere when the first full moon of the New Year is seen shining brightly. Chinese people get together at the festival site and together they hold their lanterns up trying to create a beautifully lit up surrounding.
Chinese lanterns are designed with great detailing. Often you would find puzzles featuring on them that would get you rather busy in solving them and they are hardly, normal lanterns! The lantern festival is accompanied by eating rice balls which are shared with closed ones during this season.
The origins of the lantern tradition
As is the case with many other traditional practices of China you will find a number of myths concerning the lantern New Year tradition. The most popular legend is related with the worship of a God known as Taiyi who was supposedly the ruler over the heavens in ancient times.
Being the god of heaven it was supposed that he controlled the entire fortune of the human world. The power to impose punishment through natural disasters or medical epidemics was attributed to this god. The emperor who first started the tradition of holding a ceremony to please Taiyi was Qinshihuang. There ceremonies were held in order to gain the good pleasure of Taiyi and avoid the risk of natural disasters.
As time went, the Han dynasty patronized the festival to please lord Taiyi to very great extent and with time the ceremony became popular. It was during the reign of the ruler Wudi that this event became the most significant in China and revelry went on for the entire night.
The story behind the lantern festival however had a different explanation too that said the Taoists influenced these celebrations. The fortune of the Chinese people was in the hands of the Taoist lord Tianguan, apparently, and he seemed to have taste for Chinese entertainment. Hence, the Chinese took to satisfying him by, celebrating on the streets and executing various performances to keep him happy.
There was another edge to this old history that said that the ceremony of lantern lighting was discovered by the emperor Mingdi. He was influenced by Buddhist preaching and also he had a dream that made him select the fifteenth day after the New Year date as the day of lantern lighting.
The lantern festival is one of the special events held as a part of the Chinese New Year celebrations no matter which part of the legend is genuine. These lanterns are interestingly designed with rare Chinese patterns.
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The Chinese new year astrology depends on a series of a dozen different animal-based signs . If you want to learn how to make your own Chinese lanterns click on the preceding link.
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