China Brand Value Network(www.bvrcn.com) wish everyone in this country a happy Lantern Festival!

In ancient agricultural society, the fifteenth day of the first month itself has a special meaning.  It is a day of starting the cultivation in the slash-and-burn agriculture era when life begin to grown. It is also a start of a new year after the long cold winter.

So people call this day in Chinese “Yuan Xiao”, in English the “Lantern Festival”. “Yuan” also means “Shan”. The meaning of “Shan" is good. The Lantern Festival itself is a good night.

Just like Emperor Jianwen in Liang dynasty depicted in the “Lantern Display Prose”. Grass with spring colors start moving, and beautiful clouds are coming forth.

The coldness is disappearing, and everything is reviving. The spring is germinating.  After the winter, people need to adjust their mind and spirit to better embrace the coming new year.

Picture of Chinese ancient custom in Tang dynasty: Release the Lanterns

In Chinese ancient custom, Upper Yuan Festival(Tianguan Festival ), Middle Yuan Festival(Diguan Festival & Yulan Pen Festival) and Lower Yuan Festival(Shuiguan Festival)  are collectively known as the Three Yuan. The formation of the Lantern Festival experienced a long process. According to general information and folklore, this festival was taken seriously in the Western Han Dynasty. The Hanwu Emperor would go to Ganquan Palace in the ShangXin night of lunar January to worship the god. Later this activity was treated as the start of the custom of worshiping the god on the fifteenth day of lunar January However, the time that the Lantern Festival on lunar January was taken as a true festival is after the Han&Wei period of Chines history.

Long from the ancient time, the custom of watching lanterns during Lantern Festival is the major event.  Traditional custom include going out to watch the moon, lighting lanterns and cracking fireworks, playing lantern riddles, having sweet dumplings  together,  putting on rabbit lanterns. etc. In addition,  other folklore performances are added into Lantern Festival in many places, such as the dragon lantern dance, lion play,  walking on stilts, paddling the land boat, Yange dancing, etc.

In June 2008, the Lantern Festival was selected as the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.