SLL27: A Lantern’s Journey Home: The legend of Yuan Xiao 燈籠歸家路：元宵節的傳說

This is a story inspired by the legend of Yuan Xiao of the Han Dynasty

A Lantern’s Journey Home: The legend of Yuan Xiao

It was a chilly night on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. The streets of the capital city swarmed with throngs of panicking people. They were busy putting up red lanterns, lighting fires, setting off fireworks. The air was thick with the sounds of crackling firecrackers and the nervous chatter of townsfolk.

Yuan Xiao walked calmly through the palace gate. She was unable to repress a smile. She was heading home.

The streets were a whirlwind of motion, everyone hustling and bustling in every direction. No one noticed her simple disguise—a red scarf draped over her head that hid her delicate features—as she carefully navigated through the chaos.

The news of the impending fire catastrophe and need to appease the Fire God with fire and lanterns spread through the streets. The capital was in a frenzy. She could hear frantic whispers as she passed: “Hurry, the fire god needs to be appeased!”, “Have you prepared the fireworks yet?”, “You’d better finish preparing the sky lanterns.”

Panic charged the air. But Yuan Xiao’s heart started to pound for other reasons. What if someone recognized her? What if the palace guards caught her before she made it home? She clenched her fists and quickened her pace. She thought of her father’s weathered face and her mother’s warm smile.

Finally, she could see her home through the fire and smoke. Her father was standing by the gate, busy hanging up lanterns. “Father”, Yuan Xiao called.

He turned, and when he saw her, his body froze. “Yuan Xiao?” he muttered, voice cracking.

Yuan Xiao cried and rushed into his arms. Tears welled in her father’s eyes as he clutched her tightly. “I feared I’d never see you again. When I heard the rumors that the city will be destroyed, all I could think of was you trapped in the palace ... dying in the palace. Alone.”

Her mother appeared at the doorway and dropped the bowl in her hands. Tears streamed down her face as she ran to Yuan Xiao. “Daughter, you came back,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “How …? Never mind, we don’t have much time. Come, sit.”

Yuan Xiao sat at the table as her mother served steaming bowls of tangyuan in red bean soup. Yuan Xiao gazed at the glutinous rice balls—round, warm, and sweet. The perfect symbol of unity and love.

The family finished eating and continued sitting and sharing stories. Outside, the chaos of the city continued. Fires raged and smoke rose, along with the thousands of red sky lanterns that gave the sky an ominous red glow. The city looked as if it were engulfed in fire and destruction.

Yuan Xiao suggested they release sky lanterns to mark their reunion. The family stepped outside into the cool night air, carrying delicate lanterns inscribed with their wishes. Her father wrote, May our family be safe and healthy. Her mother added, May Yuan Xiao never be separated from us again.

Yuan Xiao, however, paused before writing. With a sincere heart and steady hand, she wrote in her most beautiful calligraphy, Thank you to the Minister who saved my life and gave me the chance to return home. May he be blessed for his kindness and compassion.

As Yuan Xiao's lantern disappeared into the glowing red heavens, she smiled. With her father’s hand resting on her shoulder, her mother’s arm wrapped around her waist, she cherished every moment of the reunion. She knew it might be her last.

Epilogue

The legend of Yuan Xiao (元宵) gives a glimpse into the lives of palace maids during imperial China. These young women were often selected for their beauty and talents but were confined within the imperial palace. They were rarely, if ever, granted the opportunity to leave the palace and visit their families. Some maids were unable to endure the loneliness and separation from their loved ones, like Yuan Xiao. According to the legend, Yuan Xiao was on the palace grounds weeping with loneliness and about to commit suicide when Minister Dongfang Shuo (東方朔) saw her. Dongfang, a favored minister of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, was so moved by how much Yuan Xiao missed her parents that he devised a plan to reunite Yuan Xiao with her family. He spread a rumor predicting a catastrophic fire on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month unless the Fire God was appeased. To do this, everyone was urged to hang red lanterns, light torches, and set off firecrackers and fireworks. This orchestrated spectacle not only averted the supposed disaster but also allowed Yuan Xiao to slip away amidst the chaotic preparations and reunite with her family.

Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar and is celebrated with various traditions that symbolize family, hope, and the ushering in of a prosperous new year. One of the most prominent customs is the lighting and displaying of lanterns, which are often red to signify good fortune. These lanterns can range from simple paper constructions to elaborate designs depicting cultural symbols and historical figures. In Northern Taiwan’s Pingxi, the Sky Lantern Festival is also celebrated at this time. Thousands of visitors go to this mountain town and write personal wishes and messages on sky lanterns (天燈) before setting them off into a sky of twinkling red stars. Another lantern tradition is the solving of lantern riddles (猜燈謎), where participants test their wit by deciphering puzzles attached to the lanterns. The festival is also marked by vibrant dragon and lion dances, performances believed to ward off evil spirits and attract good luck. Finally, food plays an important role in this festival, as in all other Chinese festivals. Families gather to enjoy "tangyuan" (湯圓), sweet glutinous rice balls that symbolize completeness and reunion.

燈籠歸家路：元宵節的傳說

農曆一月十五號的夜晚，寒意襲人。京城的大街上擠滿了驚慌失措的人群。他們忙著掛起紅燈籠、點燃火把、燃放煙花。空氣中瀰漫著爆竹的噼啪聲和市民們緊張的交談聲。

元宵平靜地穿過宮門，忍不住露出一絲微笑。她正在回家的路上。

街道上一片混亂，人們四處奔忙。沒有人注意到她簡單的偽裝——一條遮住她精緻面容的紅頭巾——她小心翼翼地穿過這片喧囂。

即將發生的火災災難和需要用火與燈籠安撫火神的消息傳遍了大街小巷。京城陷入了一片瘋狂。她經過時，能聽到急促的低語：「快，火神需要安撫！」「你準備好煙花了嗎？」「你最好快點把天燈準備好。」

空氣中充滿了恐慌。但元宵的心跳加速，卻是出於別的原因。如果有人認出她怎麼辦？如果宮裡的守衛在她到家之前抓住她怎麼辦？她握緊拳頭，加快了腳步。她想起了父親滄桑的臉龐和母親溫暖的笑容。

終於，透過火光和煙霧，她看到了自己的家。父親正站在門口，忙著掛燈籠。「父親，」元宵喊道。

他轉過身，看到她時，身體僵住了。「元宵？」他喃喃道，聲音有些哽咽。

元宵哭著撲進了他的懷裡。父親緊緊抱住她，眼中湧出淚水。「我擔心再也見不到你了。當我聽到城市將被毀滅的傳言時，我滿腦子都是你被困在宮裡……死在宮裡。孤零零的。」

母親出現在門口，手中的碗掉在了地上。她淚流滿面，跑向元宵。「女兒，你回來了，」她低聲說道，聲音充滿了情感。「你怎麼會......？算了，我們沒有多少時間了。來，坐下。」

元宵坐在桌旁，母親端上了一碗碗熱氣騰騰的紅豆湯圓。元宵凝視著那些糯米球——圓圓的、暖暖的、甜甜的。這是團圓和愛的完美象徵。

一家人吃完飯後，繼續坐著分享故事。外面，城市的混亂仍在繼續。火焰熊熊燃燒，煙霧升騰，成千上萬的紅天燈讓天空染上了一層不祥的紅光。城市看起來彷彿被火焰和毀滅吞噬。

元宵提議他們放天燈來紀念這次團聚。一家人走進涼爽的夜空，帶著寫滿願望的精緻燈籠。父親寫下：「願我們一家平安健康。」母親補充道：「願元宵永遠不再與我們分離。」

然而，元宵在寫之前停頓了一下。她以真誠的心和穩定的手，用最美的書法寫下：「感謝那位救了我一命並讓我回家的宰相。願他因他的仁慈與善心而得到祝福。」

當元宵的燈籠消失在閃爍的紅色天空中時，她笑了。父親的手搭在她的肩上，母親的手臂環繞著她的腰，她珍惜著團聚的每一刻。她知道，這可能是她最後的機會。

後記

元宵的傳說讓我們一窺中國古代宮女的生活。這些年輕女子通常因美貌和才華被選入宮中，卻被禁錮在皇宮裡，很少有機會離開宮殿探望家人。有些宮女無法忍受孤獨和與親人的分離，就像元宵一樣。根據傳說，元宵在宮中因孤獨而哭泣，正準備自盡時，被漢武帝的寵臣東方朔看見。東方朔被元宵對父母的思念深深打動，於是設計了一個計劃，讓元宵與家人團聚。他散佈謠言，預言正月十五將有一場災難性的大火，除非用火與燈籠安撫火神。為了做到這一點，每個人都被敦促掛紅燈籠、點燃火把、燃放爆竹和煙花。這場精心策劃的場面不僅避免了所謂的災難，還讓元宵在混亂的準備中悄悄溜走，與家人團聚。

元宵節在農曆正月十五，人們以各種傳統慶祝這個節日，象徵著家庭、希望和迎接繁榮的新年。其中最突出的習俗是點亮和展示燈籠，燈籠通常是紅色的，象徵著好運。這些燈籠從簡單的紙製結構到描繪文化符號和歷史人物的精緻設計都有。在台灣北部的平溪，天燈節也在這個時候慶祝。成千上萬的遊客來到這個山城，在天燈上寫下個人的願望和訊息，然後將它們放飛到閃爍的紅色星空中。另一個燈籠傳統是猜燈謎，參與者通過解開燈籠上的謎題來測試自己的智慧。這個節日還以充滿活力的舞龍舞獅表演為標誌，人們相信這些表演可以驅邪避災、招來好運。最後，食物在這個節日中扮演著重要角色，就像在其他中國節日中一樣。家人團聚，享用「湯圓」，這種甜糯米球象徵著圓滿和團聚。

Vocabulary

1. Lantern Festival, 元宵節 (Yuánxiāojié)

2. Yuan Xiao, 元宵 (Yuánxiāo)

3. Release sky lanterns, 放天燈 (fàng tiān dēng)

4. Hang red lanterns, 掛紅燈籠 (guà hóng dēng lóng)

5. Tangyuan (glutinous rice balls), 湯圓 (tāng yuán)

6. Set off Fireworks, 燃放煙火 (rán fàng yānhuǒ)

7. Light Firecrackers, 點燃爆竹 (diǎn rán bào zhú)

8. Reunion, 團圓 (tuányuán)

9. Chaos, 混亂 (hùn luàn)

10. Panic, 恐慌 (kǒng huāng)

11. Emperor’s palace, 皇宮 (huáng gōng)

12. Celebration, 慶祝 (qìng zhù)

13. Blessing, 祝福 (zhù fú)