According to an ancient Chinese legend, people could see heavenly spirits flying in the sky on the night of the first full moon a
fter the Lunar New Year. To get a better view of these spirits, they would hold torches up to the sky. With the passage of time, torches have been replaced by lanterns.
The custom of hanging lanterns during the Yuanxiao Festival began in the Han Dynasty (206 BCIt grew into a full-fledged lantern festival in the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581-907 AD). During the Tang Dynasty, a curfew was imposed in the capital Chang'an (present day Xian), but the Emperor lifted the curfew for three nights so that the citizens could celebrate Yuanxiao Festival.
For those three precious nights, everybody, from high officials to ordinary commoners, thronged the streets of Chang'an to look at the Yuanxiao lanterns. The streets were packed with revelers. From then on the scale of Yuanxiao celebrations became larger and grander.
