The lantern has a long history. According to Wei Cuncheng, a famous Chinese archaeologist, the lantern was the earliest portable lighting tool invented in the world. The character "east" in the oracle bone inscriptions may be a depiction of the original lantern image. More than 1,800 years ago, during the Western Han Dynasty, every household hung red lanterns to celebrate the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. "The History of the South" recorded the sentence "hanging a lantern on the wall." Ge is white coarse cloth woven with hemp, and the lantern made of it may be the original prototype of gauze lamp. Its purpose is to indicate the official title, number, identity of the door lamp (wind lamp). Later, lanterns have become a symbol of happiness for the Chinese people. There are more and more kinds of lanterns and more patterns.custom snow globe lantern is available here.
The Lantern Festival flourished in the Tang Dynasty. According to historical records, the "Shangyuan Lantern Festival" during the period of Tianbao in the Kaiyuan Dynasty of the Tang Dynasty once "placed a hundred branches of lantern trees, eighty feet high, vertical mountains, on the night of the Shangyuan point, a hundred miles can be seen, light seize the moonlight", which became a major landscape at that time. The craftsmanship of Changqing Palace lamp unearthed decades ago has been extremely high.
The most magical lantern in Lantern Festival is the sky Lantern. The so-called "sky lantern" is to light a fire under a paper lamp shaped ball, using the principle of hot air rising into the night sky. The sky lantern is made of white rice paper paste, and its shape is like a Kongming hat, so it is also called "Kongming lamp". The "hat brim" of the lantern is made of bamboo pieces to form a circle, and two iron wires are set between the circular bamboo pieces to form a cross shape. The fuel is fixed on the middle crossing point of the cross shape. "Sky lantern" is big and small, slowly rising, like a flashing fireball, the wind drifted away, and the stars in the night sky, wonderful.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, with the official lantern holidays, the production of colored lanterns entered a prosperous era. Every Lantern Festival night, every family decorated, from a distance, lights, the formation of "Yuehua even day color, light scene mixed stars" magnificent scenery. In the Southern Song Dynasty, colored lanterns had changed from a handicraft made by folk families to a commodity that could be traded, and a special lamp market -- Lantern market appeared in Hangzhou. There are dozens of kinds of lamps in the lantern market, including Lushan lamp, skillful lamp, pearl lamp, figure full hall lamp, sheepskin lamp, etc. Among them, the boneless lamp made of silk is like a glass ball, which is not only the scenery is strange, but also can rotate with water. And the "rolling ground lamp", can roll along the ground, like a meteor. In the Southern Song Dynasty, lantern riddles were added while lanterns were hung, further enriching the cultural atmosphere of the Lantern Festival.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the feudal emperors attached great importance to the Lantern Festival, so the varieties and styles of lanterns had new development. After Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, established his capital in Nanjing, he set off thousands of water lanterns on the Qinhuai River to celebrate the Lantern Festival. After Zhu Di moved the capital of the Ming Dynasty to Beijing, in addition to today's Dengshikou Street set up the largest lantern market at that time, also in Yongle seven year imperial edict decreed the Lantern Festival since the first day of the eleventh day, to give all officials 10 days off, in order to celebrate the festival. Taiwan character lamp Lao Zi, beauty, Zhong Kui ghosts, moon Ming prostitute, bangs play toad, etc.; Gardenia, grape, bayberry, persimmon and so on; Birds and insects have deer, crane, turtle and so on. Kit Kat has glass lamp, mica screen crystal curtain, million eye mask and other colors. Rich families make lamps with silk, colored beads, bright horns and carved sheep skin and other things. After the Qing soldiers entered the customs, they not only accepted the custom of Lantern Festival of the Han people, but also introduced the custom of ice lantern of the Manchu people into the Lantern Festival, making the ice lantern a new kind of Lantern Festival.
As a traditional folk handicraft, red lanterns are still popular in China. It plays an irreplaceable role in the long history of the Chinese nation. It symbolizes the splendid culture of the Chinese nation and is part of the intangible cultural heritage.
In the eyes of Chinese people, red lanterns symbolize family reunion, prosperous career, prosperity, happiness, brightness, vitality, completeness and wealth, so everyone likes them. This is especially true in areas inhabited by overseas Chinese, such as Chinatown, where red lanterns are hung all year round. This tradition is permeated with the unique and rich cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. The red lantern has become a symbol of Chinese culture.
Most of my areas so far the Chinese New Year and the fifteenth day of the first month to hang red lanterns, every family courtyard or courtyard hanging a red lantern, one to the New Year's Eve lit until the morning of the New Year, symbolizing the people leave the old year and welcome the New Year, to congratulate the auspicious spring. There are all kinds of lanterns, big and small, square and round. On the 30th night of the Lunar New Year, all kinds of lanterns are lit up in the houses and courtyards hanging in villages and streets, like a starry sky. The lanterns are lit from night to the early morning of the next day, symbolizing that farmers bid farewell to the old year and usher in the New Year, and that the next year will be fruitful and prosperous.