Luonan Lantern Festival

Shaanxi
🎧  Listen to Introduction

Luonan people have a long history, and the traditional Taoist culture is deeply rooted in all towns and villages, leaving behind many scenic spots and festival legends. Shangyuan Festival, which is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, is also commonly known as the "Lantern Festival". Its legends and relics can be found everywhere in the county. Shangyuan means the first full moon night of the new year. According to the records of "Sui Shi Za Ji", the origin of Shangyuan is due to the "Three Yuan Theory" of Taoism. The Taoist classic "Yun Ji Qi Qian" says: "After the chaos is divided, there are three yuan of air, heaven, earth, and water, which later become human relations and nourish all things." Shangyuan Festival is related to the gods worshipped by Taoism. Taoism is a religion that worships many gods. There are many kinds of gods worshipped by Taoism, among which the Three Officials are the ones with higher status and more influence. Taoism once called the fifteenth day of the first lunar month the Shangyuan Festival, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month the Zhongyuan Festival, and the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month the Xiayuan Festival, collectively known as the "Three Yuans". The Five Pecks of Rice Sect, an important sect of Taoism in the late Han Dynasty, worshipped the God of Heaven, the God of Earth, and the God of Water. They said that the God of Heaven bestowed blessings, the God of Earth pardoned sins, and the God of Water relieved disasters. They also matched the three officials with the three Yuans, saying that the God of Heaven was born on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the God of Earth was born on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, and the God of Water was born on the 15th day of the tenth lunar month. In this way, the 15th day of the first lunar month was called the Lantern Festival. People in Luonan said that the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month was the day when the God of Heaven bestowed blessings. The Lantern Festival has been passed down in Luonan to this day, firstly because it is in the first lunar month of the new year, and people can make full use of this special time period to express their feelings, including praise for real life and longing for a better future; secondly, the activities of this festival are close to the lives of the people and have a mass base. Such as "eating Yuanxiao", "running land boat", "playing dragon lantern", "running bamboo horse", "dancing lion", "playing lantern", etc., which can express the people's yearning for a better life through participating in these activities; thirdly, there are many famous places for Taoist activities in Luonan, such as Pei Jingong Temple (also known as Locust Temple) in the south of the county, the source of Taoism, the inspection of Laojun Mountain, the famous Shutang Mountain, Gaoyao Wenxian Mountain, Baoan Jiaogou Land God Temple, Yongfeng Bailuo Luowang Temple, Duishan, Dasheng Mountain, Taiyuling, Wanshou Palace, Donglong Mountain, Yaowang Temple, Sihao Temple, Baizhen Temple, Panlong Mountain in Niuwan, Jingcun, etc. Since Taoism is a polytheistic religion, the palaces, temples, halls and temples built in Luonan have been spread all over the country since the Han and Tang Dynasties, and they have become pilgrimage sites for Taoist believers, so that the customs of the Lantern Festival will be passed down forever.

Intangible culture related to the heritage

China tourist attractions related to the heritage