元宵节来历故事之.doc

元宵节的来历故事之“东方朔与元宵姑娘” ????????????????????????????? There are many stories on how this festival was created. One other story is about a maid. In the Han Dynasty, Mr. Eastern was a favorite advisor of the emperor. One winter day, he went to the garden and heard a little girl crying and getting ready to jump into a well to commit suicide. Mr. Eastern stopped her and asked why. She said she was a maid in the emperors palace and her name was Yuan-Xiao. She never had the chance to meet her family after she started worked at the palace. She missed them so much every 12th lunar month. If she couldnt have the chance to show her filial piety in this life, she would rather die. Mr. Eastern promised her to find a way so she could reunion with her family. Mr. Eastern left the palace and set up a fortune-telling stall on the street and disguised himself as a fortuneteller. Because of his reputation, many people asked for their fortunes. ?But every one got the same prediction - a severe fire accident on the 15th lunar day. The rumor spread quickly. Everyone was worried about the future and asked Mr. Eastern for help. Mr. Eastern said, On the 13th lunar day, the God of Fire will send a fairy lady in red to burn down the city. If you see a lady in red wearing green pants riding a black horse on that day, you should ask for her mercy. On that day, Yuan-Xiao pretended to be the red fairy lady. When people asked for her help, she said, Im the messenger of the God of Fire and came to check on the city and Im going to set up fire on 15th. This is an order from Jade Emperor. He will watch from the heavens.I will give you a copy of the imperial decree from the God of Fire. You should go to ask your emperor to find a way out. ? HYPERLINK /uploads/120203/1120053_104758_1.jpg \t _blank After she left, people went to the palace to show the emperor the decree which reads The capital city is in trouble. Fire burns on the palace, and fire from Heaven burns all night long on the 15th. The emperor