Chinese Lantern Festival - -
Personally for me, starting this blog was a bit of a struggle because I didn't want to do too much of a traditional ritual such as wedding or funeral so I decided to look into more festivals and holidays. While researching I came across different Chinese
festivals and events and the one that caught my eye was the Lantern Festival.
The festival originated in the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE), where Buddhist monks would light lanterns on the 15th day of the lunar year to honor the Buddha. It was then later adopted by the general population and spread all throughout China as well as other parts of Asia.
Lantern Festival | Definition, History, Traditions, & Facts | Britannica
Within Chinese culture from the lantern festival to Chinese New Year dragon dances are seen in many places such as China and Chinatowns all over the world. These dances are believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck, it's even considered lucky if one is to be touched by a dragon within this dance.
The costume itself can range as long as 2 meters to 100 meters or even as long as 1,000 meters. It's believed that the longer the costume is, the more luck it will bring. The body is composed of a large dragon head, and long tail-like body that is lifted up by poles in a number of sections. The costume is made of various materials such as grass, bamboo, paper, and cloth, and the body is woven in a round tube-like shape using bamboo strips, covered with a large red cloth with scales decorating it.
The costume is typically stored in a local “Dragon King Temple”, and is only brought out the day of the dragon dance. It's typically accompanied by local people holding banners and flags, as well as pounding drums, and blowing in trumpets.
Someone will hold a rod with a big ball - this is known as the “Pearl of Wisdom”- at the top leading the dragon during the dance. The movements of the dragon chasing the pearl symbolizes that the dragon is continuously pursuing wisdom. After the dance, the dragon's head and tail will be burnt and the body will be returned to the temple where it is stored and kept until the following year.
What Is Chinese Dragon Dance? What is the Meaning?.
Pretty cool that you decided to do a little research on the Lantern Festival! An event like this is pretty big in China, which makes it cool and interesting to learn about due to how big China really is. What I thought stood out a bit that maybe quite a few people already know, is the dragon dances that are associated with this festival. I didn’t know that these dances are believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was nice to read into a new culture and learn more about something I have never really looked into. I really liked listening to the first piece of music that is played during the festival. It was upbeat and made me feel like I was in new world. I can see why this music is played to bring peace and promote forgiveness!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this, I love Chinese rituals. My best friend is Vietnamese, so this was an amazing read.
ReplyDeleteI liked reading about some of the history about the Lantern Festival and how they decorate their houses. I think it would be cool to do something like that here in the U.S. I thought it was interesting reading about how the longer the dragon, the more luck it will bring because 2 meters and 100 meters are completely different sizes.
ReplyDeleteI thought the lantern festival looked very interesting and something that I would probably want to see one day! Iv'e also seen similar rituals like thse shown in some movies I believe
ReplyDeleteI think it's really cool you looked for something unique. I'd love to attend a lantern festival! The instruments used in Asian music are so distinctive, and the music itself is so ethereal that it truly transports you. It was fascinating to read about some of the festivals they celebrate!
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