Lantern Festival is China's traditional festivals, as early as the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago there, and Lantern Festival lanterns began in the Eastern Han Emperor Ming period, the Emperor Ming to promote Buddhism, I heard that the Buddhist concept of the first month on the 15th Buddhist monk relic, lighting Jingfo of doing it, then ordered that day night at the Imperial Palace and the temple lamps Jingfo, so that ordinary people are hanging lights Nobles. After this Buddhist ritual evolved folk festival grand festival. The section has experienced from the palace to the private sector, from the Central Plains to the national development process.
In the Han Emperor, has been ordered fifteenth day as the Lantern Festival. Han Wu Di, the "too much a god" of the festival set the fifteenth day. (Matthew 1: dominate the universe, the god of all). Sima Qian create a "calendar was in the beginning", the already identified as a major holiday will be the Lantern Festival.
Another one said that the lamp Lantern Festival originated in Taoist practices, "said Three"; the first month on the 15th for the Lantern Festival, July 15 for the Hungry Ghost Festival, October 15th for the ha yuen festival. In charge of the upper, middle and lower ternary, respectively heaven, earth, human 3 officer, Tian Guan joy, so should Lantern Festival Lotus Lantern.
Lantern Festival and the Festival of the holiday season secular activities is with the historical development and extension of extension. The length of the festival, the day before the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty has three days of the Song dynasty is as long as five days, the Ming dynasty is from the eighth day lighting, until 17 the night before the first month off the lights, a full 10 days . Connecting with the Spring Festival, the day for the city, crowded at night Enlightening, magnificent. In particular, those delicate, colorful lights, but also make it the climax of recreational activities during the Spring Festival. To the Qing dynasty, but also increased the dragon dance, lion dance, Pao Hanchuan, stilt, Niu Yangge and other "opera 100" content, but holiday season be shortened to 4-5 days.
元宵节是中国的传统节日，早在2000多年前的西汉就有了，元宵赏灯始于东汉明帝时期，明帝提倡佛教，听说佛教有正月十五日僧人观佛舍利，点灯敬佛的做法，就命令这一天夜晚在皇宫和寺庙里点灯敬佛，令士族庶民都挂灯。以后这种佛教礼仪节日逐渐形成民间盛大的节日。该节经历了由宫廷到民间，由中原到全国的发展过程。
在汉文帝时，已下令将正月十五定为元宵节。汉武帝时，“太一神”的祭祀活动定在正月十五。（太一：主宰宇宙一切之神）。司马迁创建“太初历”时，就已将元宵节确定为重大节日。
另有一说是元宵燃灯的习俗起源于道教的“三元说”；正月十五日为上元节，七月十五日为中元节，十月十五日为下元节。主管上、中、下三元的分别为天、地、人三官，天官喜乐，故上元节要燃灯。
元宵节的节期与节俗活动，是随历史的发展而延长、扩展的。就节期长短而言，汉代才一天，到唐代已为三天，宋代则长达五天，明代更是自初八点灯，一直到正月十七的夜里才落灯，整整十天。与春节相接，白昼为市，热闹非凡，夜间燃灯，蔚为壮观。特别是那精巧、多彩的灯火，更使其成为春节期间娱乐活动的高潮。至清代，又增加了舞龙、舞狮、跑旱船、踩高跷、扭秧歌等“百戏”内容，只是节期缩短为四到五天。