During the New Year in China, lanterns are usually hung on New Year's Eve or the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month. Red lanterns symbolizing reunion are hung in the Spring Festival to create a festive atmosphere. Later, lanterns became a symbol of happiness for the people of China. Through the inheritance and development of lantern artists in past dynasties, colorful varieties and exquisite craftsmanship have been formed. There are palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, chandeliers and so on.

If you get married, hang lanterns on the wedding day. Lanterns in China are not only used for lighting, but also a symbol. Wu Dunhou said that he used to make bridal lanterns (that is, palace lanterns) to represent wedding celebrations; Bamboo lanterns announce that this is a funeral occasion; Umbrella lamp (word surname lamp), because the pronunciation of "lamp" and "ding" is the same, indicating that people are prosperous. Therefore, in the past, every household had a surname lamp hanging under the eaves and in the living room. Today, there are still two big lanterns in front of God's head, which is a continuation of this custom.

The origin of "lantern"

There were lanterns in China after the Qin and Han Dynasties, and paper lanterns may have been invented after the Western Han Dynasty. The custom of watching lanterns on the Lantern Festival originated in the early Han Dynasty.

In 2008, however, it was also said that Emperor Ming of Tang made a big lantern shadow in Shangyang Palace on the Lantern Festival to celebrate the peace of the country and people, and then tied the lantern and flashed it.

The uncertain lighting symbolizes that "colorful dragons are auspicious, the people are rich and the country is strong", and the custom of playing lanterns is still widely circulated.

Legend of lanterns

There are different opinions about the origin of playing lanterns. The most popular view is that the custom of playing lanterns on the Lantern Festival began in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Liu Zhuang, Emperor of the Han Dynasty, advocated Buddhism. He heard that Buddhism has the custom of monks watching the relics and lighting lamps to worship Buddha on the fifteenth day of the first month, and ordered this night to be here.

In palaces and temples, lights are lit to worship Buddha, so that the gentry and the people can hang lights. Later, this Buddhist ceremonial festival gradually formed a grand folk festival. should

Festivals have experienced the development process from the court to the people and from the Central Plains to the whole country. During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, people tied flowers to celebrate the safety of the country and people.

Lanterns, flashing lights, symbolize "colorful dragons are auspicious, the people are rich and the country is strong", and the custom of lanterns has been widely popular since then.

Precautions for hanging red lanterns at the door

1, symmetric

Hanging red lanterns must be symmetrical and have a moderate height distance. Regardless of feng shui, from an aesthetic point of view, asymmetry is also unsightly.

2. Hang the south but not the north

Hanging red lanterns generally needs to be hung in the south, east or west, but it is forbidden to hang them in the north, because the water in the north is unlucky. And now the houses are basically facing south, once in winter, it is extremely cloudy. A pair of red lanterns are hung on both sides of the south gate to supplement the spirit of the sun.

3. It must be an even number

Since ancient times, we have always talked about yes-men, so we should hang lanterns in pairs or even numbers. Whether it is hung on both sides of the gate or on the balcony, it must be counted as an even number. Some old people say that hanging only a few lanterns will affect the feelings of family members.

4. Touch the lights after the Lantern Festival

There are also times when we pay attention to hanging lanterns during the Chinese New Year. Lanterns are usually hung on New Year's Eve, but not always. Touching the lights after the Lantern Festival means turning off the lights after the fifteenth day of the first month.

In the past, candles were lit in lanterns, but after the fifteenth day of the first month, two lanterns collided and were destroyed. Now lanterns are all powered by electricity, so don't touch them. Put them in a clean bag and throw them away. Although many people hang lanterns on New Year's Day now, they don't take them down until they are old and broken, but they used to pay attention to them.

5, should not be hung in the middle of the door.

Red lanterns should be hung on both sides of the gate. If it is hung in the middle, it will block the vent, which is not conducive to the flow of money into the house and the discharge of brake gas.