Guessing lantern riddles during the Lantern Festival began in the Southern Song Dynasty

During the Lantern Festival, there's a folk custom in my country of "watching lanterns and guessing riddles." Folklore experts say that guessing lantern riddles has a long history in my country, having become popular during the Southern Song Dynasty and continuing to this day.

Professor Wang Laihua of the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences explains that guessing lantern riddles is a fascinating and entertaining activity. Lantern riddles originated from the cryptic language of the Western Han Dynasty and later developed into folk riddles, also known as "playing lantern riddles."

According to records, guessing lantern riddles had already become a form of entertainment during the Lantern Festival in the Southern Song Dynasty. Zhou Mi, a Southern Song Dynasty writer, wrote in "Wulin Jiushi" (Old Things in the Wulin) that "poems and lyrics were cut out on silk lanterns, sometimes containing satire, depicting figures, using cryptic phrases, and old Beijing jokes to tease passersby." These "cryptic phrases" are riddles. Originally, people would write riddles on slips of paper and affix them to colorful lanterns for people to guess. These riddles were known as lantern riddles. Riddles are popular because they can inspire wisdom and be entertaining.

Folklore experts explain that the vast and ever-changing array of lantern riddles created by the Chinese people is immense. People sometimes describe a riddle as difficult to guess as a tiger, hence the name "lantern tiger." Riddles based on literary text are called "literary tigers," while those based on poetry are called "poetic tigers." Guessing a riddle is known as "shooting the tiger" or "beating the tiger."

From the Southern Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the custom of guessing lantern riddles during the Lantern Festival continued uninterrupted for five hundred years. It was enjoyed not only by ordinary people but also by royalty, nobles, and even the emperor within the imperial court.

Folklore experts note that the charm of lantern riddle culture persists to this day, especially during the Lantern Festival, when many places hang lantern riddles in busy streets for people to guess, adding to the festive atmosphere. Today, riddle-guessing is no longer limited to the Lantern Festival; in some places, riddle-guessing is also part of everyday cultural entertainment when friends gather together.