There is a legendary story on the origin of the Lantern Festival, or Yuan Xiao Jie in Chinese, about a wise man transforming a tragedy into a carnival in the city of Chang'an, the capital of ancient China's Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD).

The wise man named Dongfang Shuo was an advisor to the then emperor.

One winter, after a few days of heavy snowfall, Dongfang went to the Imperial Garden to pick plum blossoms for the emperor. He entered the garden and found a maid with tears streaming down her face, and intending to jump into the well to suicide.

He hurried up to stop her and asked what happened. It turned out that the maid, named Yuanxiao, hadn't been able to see her parents since she entered the royal palace, and blamed herself for failing to fulfill her filial piety.

After hearing about her experience, Dongfang assured her that he would figure out a way for her to meet her family.

He set up a fortune-telling service outside the palace where he began telling people who came to him that there would be calamitous fire on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Rumors spread quickly. People in Chang'an city were in a panic and asked for a solution. Dongfang told them that on the 13th day of the first lunar month, the God of Fire will send a fairy in a red dress and people should ask her for mercy.

He wrote the prediction down on a decree, saying that the city will be burned on the 15th day of the lunar month and gave it to Yuanxiao who dressed in red to pretend to be the fairy.

The emperor was worried and asked Dongfang for advice. Dongfang pretended to think for a while, and said: "I heard that the god of fire loves glutinous rice balls. Don't you have a maid called Yuanxiao who is good at it? Let her make glutinous rice balls to worship the God of Fire, and on the same day, the whole city can make the glutinous rice balls to pay respect.”

Dongfang also suggested letting every house in the city put up red lanterns and set off firecrackers to pretend that the city is on fire.

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, Chang'an City was crowded with people holding lanterns, and Yuanxiao's parents were able to meet up with her in the crowds. After such a lively night, Chang'an City was safe after all.

The emperor was overjoyed and ordered that on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year, people should make glutinous rice balls and hang up lanterns to worship the God of Fire. Because Yuanxiao was so good at it, people started to name the food after her, and from then on the day has been called the Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Jie.

To this day, eating yuanxiao or tangyuan and hanging lanterns are still traditional things to do at the Lantern Festival.

(Top image designer: Li Jingjie)