There is a custom of putting up lanterns on the Lantern Festival every year. Why are the lanterns on the Lantern Festival?Lighting lanterns is a kind of Lantern Festival activity, the origin is like this, legend, long long ago, there were a lot of fierce birds and beasts, everywhere hurt people and livestock, people organized to fight them, there was a god bird because he lost his way and landed on earth, but was accidentally shot to death by an unknown hunter.
When the Emperor of Heaven heard this, he was very angry. He immediately issued an order that the heavenly soldiers should set fire to the earth on the 15th day of the first lunar month and burn all the people, animals and property on earth to death. The emperor's kind-hearted daughter could not bear to see innocent people suffering, so she risked her life by secretly riding the auspicious cloud to the world and told the people the news. People heard the news, as the head rang a jiao lei, scared do not know what to do.
It took a long time before an old man came up with an idea. He said, "On the 14th, 15th and 16th days of the first month, every family puts up lanterns, lights firecrackers and sets off fireworks at home. In this way, the emperor of Heaven will think that people have been burned to death."
Everyone nodded and prepared to go separately. On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Emperor of Heaven looked down and saw a red glow and a loud sound on the earth for three consecutive nights. He thought it was the flames of a great fire and was greatly pleased. People have thus saved their lives and their property. To commemorate this success, every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, every family will hang lanterns and set off fireworks to commemorate the day.
There is another legend about Buddhism:
In Buddhist teachings, fire is compared to the divine power of Buddha, so called "infinite flame, shining infinite". But the illumination of the lamp does two good things: it is the darkness of the mortal world; The second is to show the light of Buddha to destroy the troubles of all living beings. Therefore, in Buddhist rituals, the lamp is used as one of the offerings in front of the Buddha. Buddhists encourage believers to put up lanterns, the classic repeated propaganda "one hundred thousand lanterns to repent of SINS", "for the world lamp bright most fukuda". Therefore, those who have always made pilgrimages to the mountains to ask for Buddha's blessing always offer lamp oil to show the wide planting of Buddha fields. And the Buddhist pageant needs bright lights to light the Dharma king. According to The Buddhist legend, Buddha Sakyamuni revealed the change of god and surrendered the demon on December 30 in the west, that is, the 15th day of the first lunar month in eastern China. In order to commemorate the change of God of Buddha, this day is required to hold a lantern ceremony. Along with The Buddhism east gradually, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the wind, also followed, now the Tibetan language called the Lantern Festival "bureau a quba", its meaning is the fifteenth day of the Buddha, this is the Lantern Festival from The Buddhist irrefutable proof.
Buddhist monks actively advised people to lantern, northern and Southern Dynasties, Lantern Festival Lantern Festival gradually into the atmosphere. Emperor Wudi of liang, a devout Buddhist, was illuminated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in his palace. During the Tang Dynasty, cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries became closer, and Buddhism flourished. Buddhists from the West widely publicized the "divine lamp and Buddha fire", and Buddhist lights were all over the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become a legal matter, and gradually become a folk custom.
