What should we pay attention to when eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival? What is the significance of setting off fireworks during the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival mainly includes a series of traditional folk activities such as viewing lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, guessing lantern riddles, and setting off fireworks. Setting off fireworks during the Lantern Festival is a custom, which means to celebrate reunion and harmony. In June 2008, the Lantern Festival was selected into the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage. So what does setting off fireworks during the Lantern Festival mean?

Contents of this article

1. What should you pay attention to when eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival?

2. The significance of setting off fireworks during the Lantern Festival

3. Traditional proverbs of the Lantern Festival

What should you pay attention to when eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival?

1. First of all, although glutinous rice balls are delicious, you should not eat too much. Glutinous rice balls are high-calorie, high-sugar foods, containing oil and lack of nutrients. In addition to calories and sugar, there is not much nutrition.

2. Secondly, glutinous rice balls should not be eaten in the morning. The gastrointestinal function is weakest in the morning, and the outer skin of glutinous rice balls is mostly made of glutinous rice, which is not easy to digest. Eating it for breakfast can easily cause indigestion.

3. Again, when eating glutinous rice balls, do not eat other foods high in sugar, and reduce the intake of other staple foods. Generally speaking, eating three glutinous rice balls is equivalent to 1 tael of staple food. Generally, the intake of staple food is about 2 taels, and it is best to control the amount of glutinous rice balls to about five to six. Excessive intake will cause a burden on the stomach.

4. Finally, eat less fried glutinous rice balls. Although fried glutinous rice balls are crispy, they will increase the fat content of the glutinous rice balls, which are already high in fat, and increase the energy density, making them a more unhealthy food. For patients with gallbladder and pancreatic diseases, eating fried glutinous rice balls is likely to aggravate their condition.

5. For special groups such as infants, the elderly, people with weak digestion after illness and people with gastrointestinal diseases, it is recommended that they should not eat glutinous rice dumplings. Diabetic patients should eat less or no glutinous rice dumplings. It is recommended that healthy adults eat glutinous rice dumplings in moderation, about 50 grams a day, and do not eat more. In addition, overweight or hyperlipidemia, hypertension patients should not eat too much glutinous rice dumplings containing a lot of fat and sugar.

The significance of setting off fireworks during the Lantern Festival

Setting off fireworks during the Lantern Festival is a custom, which is meant to celebrate family reunion and harmony. The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional festivals in China, the Chinese character cultural circle and overseas Chinese. The Lantern Festival mainly includes a series of traditional folk activities such as viewing lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, guessing lantern riddles, setting off fireworks, etc. In addition, many places have added traditional folk performances such as playing with dragon lanterns, playing with lions, walking on stilts, rowing land boats, dancing yangko, and playing Taiping drums during the Lantern Festival. In June 2008, the Lantern Festival was selected into the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

The formation of the Lantern Festival custom took a long time. According to general information and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was already valued in the Western Han Dynasty. The activity of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty offering sacrifices to "Taiyi" in Ganquan Palace on the first night of the first lunar month was regarded by later generations as a precursor to offering sacrifices to the gods on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. However, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month really became a folk festival after the Han and Wei dynasties. The custom of lighting lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is related to the spread of Buddhism to the East.

Traditional proverbs of the Lantern Festival

1. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the time for lantern festivals.

2. On the Lantern Festival, serve with salt water.

3. The moon is above the willows, and we make an appointment after dusk.

4. Hug a big pig on the fifteenth night.

5. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, clouds cover the moon; next year’s Lantern Festival, rain lights up the lanterns.

6. Rain hits the Lantern Festival lanterns, and clouds cover the Mid-Autumn Moon.

7. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is a busy day.

8. Rain hitting the lamp head, there is no water to wash the cow.

9. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, clouds cover the moon; on the fifteenth day of the first month, snow lights up the lanterns.

10. If the lanterns are round and the surface is dark, there will be no rain during the Lantern Festival and there will be drought in spring.

11. Lantern Festival, cure all diseases.

12. If you steal onions, you will marry a good father-in-law; if you steal vegetables, you will marry a good son-in-law.

13. Lantern Festival drives away all diseases.

14. When the lanterns fall to the ground and it rains, it will be cloudy for thirty-six days.

15. The annual Lantern Festival.

16. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there are snow to light up the lanterns, and during the Qingming Festival, there are heavy rains.

17. If you enjoy spring on the 16th day of the first lunar month, you will stay healthy all year round.