Днес се отбелязва китайският Празник на фенерите 元宵节 юенсяодзие. Той настъпва на 15-тия ден от първия лунен месец според традиционния китайски календар и с него приключва 15-дневното честване на Празника на пролетта 春节, известен като Китайската нова година.
Има редица легенди за възникването на този празник, но независимо от това, дали някоя от тях е достоверна, днес той е един от най-важните празници в Китай, заедно с Пролетния празник, Празника на средата на есента 中秋节, Празникът на драконовите лодки 端午节 и Празникът Цинмин 清明节.
Според някои от легендите, празникът възникнал преди повече от 2000 години, по времето на династия Хан и е свързан с разпространението на Будизма в Китай. Друга история го свързва с девойка на име Юен Сяо, която била прислужница в императорския двор. Съветникът на императора Дунфан Шуо видял, че тя плаче и разбрал, че момичето страда, защото не може да види семейството си. За да я събере отново с близките ѝ, той разпространил предсказание, че столицата ще бъде унищожена от дракон. Единственият начин бедствието да бъде предотвратено бил, ако хората навсякъде запалят фенери и заблудят дракона, че градът вече е пламнал. Императорът послушал своя съветник и в деня, когато фенерите били запалени, се събрали хора от близо и далеч, дошло и семейството на Юен Сяо.
По време на празника в миналото във въздуха се пускали хиляди запалени традиционни хартиени фенери. Днес обикновено деца излизат навън когато се стъмни и държат такива фенери в ръце. Фойерверките, с които се гонят злите духове, също са неизменна част от честванията.
Традиционна храна по време на празника са пелмените и сладките топчета от лепкав ориз с пълнеж от червен боб, сусам или фъстъчено масло, които се наричат юенсяо 元宵 (или танюен 汤圆). И двете ястия символизират събирането на цялото семейство заедно, което е най-важното послание на този ден.This article is about the Lantern Festival in China. For related festivals in the East Asian cultural sphere, see First Full Moon Festival.
Lantern Festival
元宵節
元宵节
Lantern Festival celebrated in Tainan at night
Official name Yuánxiāo jié (元宵節) / Shàngyuán jié (上元節)
Observed by Chinese
Type Cultural, Religious
Significance Marks the end of the Chinese New Year
Observances Flying of paper lanterns;
Consumption of tangyuan
Date 15th day of the 1st lunisolar month
2023 date 5 February
2024 date 24 February
2025 date 12 February
Related to Chotrul Duchen (in Tibet)
Daeboreum (in Korea)
Koshōgatsu (in Japan)
Magha Puja (in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos)
Tết Nguyên Tiêu (in Vietnam)
Lantern Festival
Traditional Chinese 元宵節
Simplified Chinese 元宵节
Literal meaning "Prime Night Festival"
Transcriptions
Hokkien Name
Traditional Chinese 十五暝 / 上元
Literal meaning "15th Night" / "Top Primary"
Transcriptions
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 上元節
Simplified Chinese 上元节
Literal meaning first great [Emperor-Officials] festival
Transcriptions
Statues of mother and daughter celebrating the Lantern Festival. Xi'an
The Lantern Festival (traditional Chinese: 元宵節; simplified Chinese: 元宵节; pinyin: Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival (traditional Chinese: 上元節; simplified Chinese: 上元节; pinyin: Shàngyuán jié), is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar, during the full moon. Usually falling in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.[1] As early as the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance.[2]
During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns (traditional Chinese: 猜燈謎; simplified Chinese: 猜灯谜; pinyin: cāidēngmí).[3][4] In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate lanterns.[5] In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs.[4] For example, lanterns are now often made in the shape of animals. The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones,[6] which they will let go of the next year. The lanterns are almost always red to symbolize good fortune.[7]
The festival acts as an Uposatha day on the Chinese calendar.[8][9] It should not be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival; which is sometimes also known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.[2][10] Lantern Festivals have also become popular in Western countries, such as the Water Lantern Festival held in multiple locations in the United States.[11]
Origin
There are several beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. However, its roots trace back more than 2,000 years and is popularly linked to the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty.[12] Emperor Ming, an advocate of Buddhism, noticed Buddhist monks would light lanterns in temples on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month. As a result, he ordered all households, temples and the imperial palace to light lanterns on that evening.[13] From there it developed into a folk custom. Another likely origin is the celebration of "the declining darkness of winter" and community's ability to "move about at night with human-made light," namely, lanterns. During the Han dynasty, the festival was connected to Ti Yin, the deity of the North Star.[1]
Red lanterns, often seen during the festivities in China
Taiwan Lantern Festival
There is one legend that states that it was a time to worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that Taiyi controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning with Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, all the emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people.[14][5]
Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it to be one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism. Tianguan is the Taoist deity responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment, so followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune.[15]
Another legend associates with the Lantern Festival with an ancient warrior named Lan Moon, who led a rebellion against the tyrannical king in ancient China. He was killed in the storming of the city and the successful rebels commemorated the festival in his name.[15]
Yet another common legend dealing with the origins of the Lantern Festival speaks of a beautiful crane that flew down to earth from heaven. After it landed on earth it was hunted and killed by some villagers. This angered the Jade Emperor in heaven because the crane was his favorite. So, he planned a storm of fire to destroy the village on the fifteenth lunisolar day. The Jade Emperor's daughter warned the inhabitants of her father's plan to destroy their village. The village was in turmoil because nobody knew how they could escape their imminent destruction. However, a wise man from another village suggested that every family should hang red lanterns around their houses, set up bonfires on the streets, and explode firecrackers on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth lunisolar days. This would give the village the appearance of being on fire to the Jade Emperor. On the fifteenth lunisolar day, troops sent down from heaven whose mission was to destroy the village saw that the village was already ablaze, and returned to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor. Satisfied, the Jade Emperor decided not to burn down the village. From that day on, people celebrate the anniversary on the fifteenth lunisolar day every year by carrying lanterns on the streets and exploding firecrackers and fireworks.[16]
Another legend about the origins of Lantern Festival involves a maid named Yuan-Xiao. In the Han dynasty, Dongfang Shuo was a favorite adviser of the emperor. One winter day, he went to the garden and heard a little girl crying and getting ready to jump into a well to commit suicide. Shuo stopped her and asked why. She said she was Yuan-Xiao, a maid in the emperor's palace and that she never had a chance to see her family since she started working there. If she could not have the chance to show her filial piety in this life, she would rather die. Shuo promised to find a way to reunite her with her family. Shuo left the palace and set up a fortune-telling stall on the street. Due to his reputation, many people asked for their fortunes to be told but everyone got the same prediction – a calamitous fire on the fifteenth lunisolar day. The rumor spread quickly.[15]
Everyone was worried about the future so they asked Dongfang Shuo for help. Dongfang Shuo said that on the thirteenth lunisolar day, the God of Fire would send a fairy in red riding a black horse to burn down the city. When people saw the fairy they should ask for her mercy. On that day, Yuan-Xiao pretended to be the red fairy. When people asked for her help, she said that she had a copy of a decree from the God of Fire that should be taken to the emperor. After she left, people went to the palace to show the emperor the decree which stated that the capital city would burn down on the fifteenth. When the emperor asked Dongfang Shuo for advice, the latter said that the God of Fire liked to eat tangyuan (sweet dumplings). Yuan-Xiao should cook tangyuan on the fifteenth lunisolar day and the emperor should order every house to prepare tangyuan to worship the God of Fire at the same time. Also, every house in the city should hang red lantern and explode fire crackers
Дата на публикация: 24 февруари, 2024
Субтитри от:
smiles
Категория:
Пътуване и събития
Ключови думи:
На
Празник
г.
Честит
2024
фенерите
元宵节
コムローイ
Харесайте ни във Facebook