Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This is the first full moon of the new year,(symbol) unity and perfection. Lantern Festival is an important part of Spring Festival and (mark) the official end of the long holiday. There are many legends concerning the origins of Lantern Festival.
According to one legend, a celestial (天上的) swan came down to the world where it was shot down by a hunter. The Jade Emperor, the (high) god in Heaven, vowed to avenge(为...报复)the swan. He planned to send a troop to Earth on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with orders to kill all humans and animals. the other celestial beings disagreed with this course of action, risking their lives (warn) the people of Earth. As a result, before and after the fifteenth day of the first month, every family (hang) red lanterns outside their doors and set off firecrackers and fireworks, giving the impression their homes were already burning. By successfully tricking the Jade Emperor in this way, humanity was saved from death.
Over time, Lantern Festival (gradual) evolved into its present form. When Buddhism was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the emperor commanded that on the night of the full moon of the first lunar month, lanterns should (light) to honor Buddha, adding a new dimension to Lantern Festival. And according to Daoism, Lantern Festival is associated the primitive Goddesses of Heaven and Fire, who were born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
