The retaining and utilization of fire

Paleolithic－Neolithic ages (about 2.5 million years~4000 years ago)

Fire was the totem of human ancestors.

In the history of human development, the fire brought human being into a civilized age.

Mankind experienced following stages concerning the use of fire:

First, man used natural fire and kept it;

Second, man drilled wood to make fire and kept the fire live cinder and started a new pile of fire.

Third, man stroke flint, tinder and flint steel to make fire.

In the recorded history of the development of mankind anthropoid ape could walk erectly, chisel and use simple implements and make use of fire. Fire light brought human beings into a society of fruit-gathering, animal-hunting and primitive agriculture, shedding light on the incipient civilizations of human beings.

Fire and primitive

The invention of man-made ways of making fire and the use of fire were epoch-making events in the economic activities of human beings. The use of fire was not only an essential means by which human beings could live, but an indispensable weapon with which humans unmasked the secret of mysterious material world. All the cultural relics, gathered after the discovery of the fossils of the apemen “Yuanmou Men” which were unearthed at Yuanmou County of Yuanan Province and known as the earliest primitive human species of far, testfied that ancestors of the Chinese nation had a 1.7 million-year history of using fire, which was the earliest trace of using fire in the world as well as in my country. Since then, fire with its splendid glory entered all kinds of cultures of human beings.

The navigation of Chinese Lantern and Lantern Festival

• Discovery of the Fire
• Origin of lamp
• Chinese Lanterns in Qin
• Chinese Lantern in Han
• Lantern in Sui and Tang
• Chinese Lantern in Song
• Lantern in Ming and Qing
• Chinese Lantenr in R.O.C.
• Lantern Festival Develop

For the purpose of shielding wind, moving lamps and working at night, human being produced various kinds of practical lamp and lamp utensil via various vessels and fuels. Since thousands of years, human pursuit to the craftwork of lampshade has formed rich, colorful and fantastic lamp or lantern arts and laid a foundation for the lantern show.

At the earlier period of Western Han, Emperor Hanwendi stated the Jan. 15^th of lunar calendar as the Lantern Festival, when he subjugated successfully the insurgency of Zhulu. Since the first  Lantern Festival in Hanwudi (156B.C—87B.C.), every year at this time, emperor would offer sacrifice to the Heaven, Buddhist would light lamps to elucidate Buddhism, Taoist would sacrifice the deities Taiyi and Sanguan, common people would hold lamps and candles to chase rat, look at the silkworms and pray for big harvest and no disaster. Therefore, lamp, candle and fire gradually became scenery on the day of Lantern Festival.

The emergence of lamps and windproof lanterns in Han Dynasty facilitated the outdoor emplacement of lamps and lanterns. In ancient times, the 15th of the first lunar month was called Shang Yuan (first full moon); July 15th of the lunar month Zhong Yuan (mid full moon); October 15th Xia Yuan (last full moon). Shang Yuan was the first night with full moon in a year, so it was also named as Yuan Xiao Festival (full moon night). From the Warring States Period on, people prayed the God of Tai Yi from dush to dawn. Because of the  eastward movement of Buddhism, on the night of Jan 15th in the first lunar month, bans on fire were lifted and lamps and lanterns were put outdoors all night long to symbolize the brightness of Buddhism. This was the precursor of the Lantern Festival.

In that night, the  Emperors made a sacrifice to Heaven; Buddhists lit a fire to illuminate Buddhadharma; Taoists also prayed to Tai Yi and the gods in San Guan( Three Palaces); Folks also lit the candles and lamps to chase away the mice and light the silkworm in the hope of eliminating scourges and gaining a good harvest. Thus lamps, candles and fire became the essence of Shang Yuan. The Lantern Festival had its embryonic form when the wheels of time moved to the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Later it evolved into a majestic festival after Emperor Sui Yang Di took the throne.

So we can say Han Dynasty is one of the most important Dynasty for the Formation of the Lantern Festival.

The navigation of Chinese Lantern and Lantern Festival

• Discovery of the Fire
• Origin of lamp
• Chinese Lanterns in Qin
• Chinese Lantern in Han
• Lantern in Sui and Tang
• Chinese Lantern in Song
• Lantern in Ming and Qing
• Chinese Lantenr in R.O.C.
• Lantern Festival Develop

The lamp in Han Dynasty

pottery lantern seat of Western Queen

Fire was the main tool when the remote ancestors trudged over a difficult way to civilization. It was fire and light that opened the heart of human beings and brought the birth to lamps. China is one of the earliest countries that made use of lamps.

With wider application of lamps, the lamps and lanterns in different dynasties have been in endless variety and of super craftmanship excelling nature. They radiate the wisdom of Chinese nationality. As more and more carnivals in Spring Festival were developed, spring festival culture initiated. Particularly, lantern shows and lantern festivals contributed a great deal to the cultural accumulation of China. The distinct lantern culture brightened the history and spread far and wide through out the country.

During the Warring States Period, Qin and Han dynasties lamps and lanterns were mainly made of bronze, the craftsmanship of which had come of age no matter in molding, ornament or production. In the Shang Dynasty bronze wares were used primarily in sacrifice. While during the Warring States Period bronze wares went under trasformation in function which gave priority to practical utility and the integration of pragmatism and aesthetics. Bronze sculptures were molded vividly and elegantly, with no the grave and mysterious colors of those in the Shang Dynasty. As to arts and crafts, molding techniques such as cast welding and dewaxing casting were proficiently used. Although in the Han Dynasty, many bronze wares were  replaced by lacquer and porcelain ones, bronze lamps and lanterns outshined and the first boom of ancient Chinese lamps and lanterns in history came into being.

You can read the related post about the formation of the Lantern Festival

• Discovery of the Fire
• Origin of lamp
• Chinese Lanterns in Qin
• Chinese Lantern in Han
• Lantern in Sui and Tang
• Chinese Lantern in Song
• Lantern in Ming and Qing
• Chinese Lantenr in R.O.C.
• Lantern Festival Develop

The Lantern Festival in Zigong

On the night of the 15ht of the 1st lunar month, there was a sea of various fascinating lanterns accompanied by wonderful displays of fireworks in the sky. The whole country celebrated the festival with diversified traditional performance like dances, local operas, and acrobatics. Being favored by people, the festival has been developing with great vitality. The celebration grew increasingly grand; The lanterns became increasingly delicate. More and more entertainments were added up to the festival, and more and more prosperous the trade during the festivals became. Even the lantern show itself was continually becoming longer.

In the socialist new China, the lantern show of Lantern Festival has been bestowed with new meaning, and exhibited its new features and attractions on either side of the Great Wall, all over the country.

The navigation of Chinese Lantern and Lantern Festival

• Discovery of the Fire
• Origin of lamp
• Chinese Lanterns in Qin
• Chinese Lantern in Han
• Lantern in Sui and Tang
• Chinese Lantern in Song
• Lantern in Ming and Qing
• Chinese Lantenr in R.O.C.
• Lantern Festival Develop

Before the invention of the light, our ancestors used to light the torch, the torch known as the “candle” at the time, candle is divided into two types: “out side the door named Large Candle (大烛), in the home named TingLiao (庭燎).” At about the 6th century BC, there is poem that named TingLiao in the “The Book of Poetry“.

The Book of Poetry

庭燎

夜如何其?
夜未央,庭燎之光.
君子至止,鸾声将将.

夜如何其?
夜未艾,庭燎晣晣.
君子至止,鸾声哕哕.

夜如何其?
夜乡晨,庭燎有煇.
君子至止,言观其旗.

The means

1. The first paragraph describing the scene at midnight, courtier lit candles in the middle of the night was ready to enter the palace to prepare for meetings in the morning,
2. The second paragraph  is the description of candles have a brightly lit by the courtier and emperor before dawn.
3. The third paragraph said that the candlelight was already covered by the sunlight in dawn.

This poem depicts a scene of audience palace in the morning, it showed the emperor rule the country hardly.

This is the oldest lantern poem, its vivid description, rhetorical, jingle, can be said to create the form of lantern poem, is the originator of lantern poem.

灯因水溢彩, 水以灯流光.  Owing to water, lanterns overfolw the lustre and water flashes for lanterns.

瑶池碧海、云波烟涛、彩泉飞珠、激光夜照; Taking a green pool as sea, with the cloudy waves, water pearls and razer as night background.

群龙戏水、鱼游凤舞、仙女翩翩、仙乐阵阵. The soaring dragon, ancing pheonixes and celestial maidens as well as swimming fishes are lightly moving with relevant music.

此景只应天上有,倏然一夜在人间. It seems that the Heaven scene falls on the earth in one night.

——————–

写于自贡灯会，湖中大型灯组构成自贡灯会一道亮丽的景观。

Writing in Zigong Lantern Festival, The large-sized Lantern sets compose a magnificent scenery for Zigong Lantern Festival.

zigong lantern fesitval

The lantern display is the most important element of the lantern festival, and each lantern display shown some traditional or modern stories. The size of these lantern displays can be designed and manufactured according to different exhibition places and requirement. A large lantern display might occupy over 100 square meters, some one even over 1000 square meters. But most of the lantern displays usually occupy an area of 30 to 80 square meters.

For example

three crane lanterns

Three Crane Lanterns

A displays of Dragon boat Lantern

dragon boat lantern display

Lantern Festival customs

• Lantern Festival customs 1 : Making lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way. (or keep off evil spirits)
• Lantern Festival customs 2: Eating Tang-yuan, it means the family reunion, people eat Tang-yuan, and hope it can help their family reunion.
• Lantern Festival customs 3: Watching fancy lanterns, Lantern Festival is the Chinese Valentine’s Day in the ancient China, the lovers go to the street which decorate with lanterns and coloured ribbons together, and watching the fancy lanterns.
• Lantern Festival customs 4: Sending Lanterns, some blessing text were wrote on the lanterns to give the people who received the lanterns a good blessing.
• Lantern Festival customs 5: Greeting the immortal of toilet, Chinese women use a red Shau Kei as a sedan chair, and greet the immortal of toilet (This immortal died under torture when she is alive).
• Lantern Festival customs 6: Crossing the bridge for no illnesses, Chinese women go across the bridge with each other women, they believe this can help them no illnesses in the next year.
• Lantern Festival customs 7: Stealing crops, Young women who steal men’s crops believe it would help them to keep the health of the their silkworm, improving the production of silk.
• Lantern Festival customs 8: Hunting festival, 36 young women will pose as 36 different prey and dance beside the bonfire, the men arm with hunting weapons and dancing around the prey.

dragon boat lantern

• The Lantern Festival began in Han dynasty(A.D. 25 -  A.D.220 )
• The Lantern Fstival is held every 15th on first lunar month.
• The four important festivals in China are the Spring Festival,  the Lantern Festival, the Drgon-boat Festival and the Mid-autumn Festival.
• Chinese Lantern Festival and the Tanabata Festival is the Ancient Chinese Valentine’s Day.
• In the morning of Japanese Lantern Festival, there is a habit of eating small beans congee, Japanese believed that beans can avoid evil things.
• China is known for silk in ancient time, rats often eaten silkworms that time, so that people cook a pot of gruel for the rats specifically in the Lantern Festival to avoid their silkworms being eaten.
• Taiwan, South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore is the areas that most frequent celebrated the Lantern Festival

Maybe you are interested in:

• Lantern Festival Riddles
• Lantern Festival Poem
  
• Chinese Lantern Festival Food
• Chinese Lantern Festival Music