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76-1111: Shangyuan may refer to: Shangyuan Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival in English Shangyuan railway station , a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration Neiwan Line Places in China [ edit ] Shangyuan, Beipiao (上园), a town in Beipiao, Liaoning Shangyuan Subdistrict (上园街道), a subdistrict in Dadong District, Shenyang, Liaoning Historical eras [ edit ] Shangyuan (上元, 674–676), era name used by Emperor Gaozong of Tang Shangyuan (上元, 760–761), era name used by Emperor Suzong of Tang See also [ edit ] Sangyuan (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

152-405: A Buddha . Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism : monasteries ( viharas ), places to venerate relics ( stupas ), and shrines or prayer halls ( chaityas , also called chaitya grihas ), which later came to be called temples in some places. The pagoda is an evolution of

228-557: A Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is seen and a Langar where people can eat free food. A gurdwara may also have a library, nursery, and classroom. The temple-building tradition of Mesopotamia derived from the cults of gods and deities in the Mesopotamian religion . It spanned several civilizations; from Sumerian , Akkadian , Assyrian , and Babylonian . The most common temple architecture of Mesopotamia

304-697: A century before the advent of Reform, and many continued to do so after. In American parlance, temple is often synonymous with synagogue , but especially non-Orthodox ones. The term kenesa , from the Aramaic for 'assembly', is used to describe the places of worship of Karaite Jews . Example of such temple is the Sofia Synagogue , Bulgaria the largest synagogue in Southeastern Europe and third-largest in Europe . The word temple

380-579: A folk custom. Another likely origin is the celebration of "the declining darkness of winter" and community's ability to "move about at night with human-made light," namely, lanterns. During the Han dynasty, the festival was connected to Ti Yin, the deity of the North Star . There is one legend that states that it was a time to worship Taiyi , the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that Taiyi controlled

456-449: A name). The form and function of temples are thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be, in some sense, the "house" of one or more deities . Typically, offerings of some sort are made to the deity, and other rituals are enacted, and a special group of clergy maintain and operate the temple. The degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly; often parts, or even

532-400: A way to reunite her with her family. Shuo left the palace and set up a fortune-telling stall on the street. Due to his reputation, many people asked for their fortunes to be told but everyone got the same prediction – a calamitous fire on the fifteenth lunisolar day. The rumor spread quickly. Everyone was worried about the future so they asked Dongfang Shuo for help. Dongfang Shuo said that on

608-475: A wise man from another village suggested that every family should hang red lanterns around their houses, set up bonfires on the streets, and explode firecrackers on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth lunisolar days. This would give the village the appearance of being on fire to the Jade Emperor. On the fifteenth lunisolar day, troops sent down from heaven whose mission was to destroy the village saw that

684-544: Is templom , also deriving from the same Latin root. Spanish distinguishes between the temple being the physical building for religious activity, and the church being both the physical building for religious activity and also the congregation of religious followers. The principal words typically used to distinguish houses of worship in Western Christian architecture are abbey , basilica , cathedral , chapel and church . The Catholic Church has used

760-432: Is tserkov , the term khram ( Храм ), 'temple', is used to refer to the church building as a temple of God ( Khram Bozhy ). The words church and temple , in this case are interchangeable; however, the term church ( Ancient Greek : ἐκκλησία ) is far more common. The term temple ( Ancient Greek : ναός ) is also commonly applied to larger churches. Some famous churches which are referred to as temples include

836-679: Is a cartouche in Latin which reads "this temple (...) was constructed by king Oscar II." Beginning in the late eighteenth century, following the Enlightenment , some Protestant denominations in France and elsewhere began to use the word temple to distinguish these spaces from Catholic churches. Evangelical and other Protestant churches make use of a wide variety of terms to designate their worship spaces, such as church, tabernacle or temple. Additionally some breakaway Catholic churches such as

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912-611: Is an Indonesian term to refer to ancient temples. Before the rise of Islam, between the 5th to 15th centuries, Dharmic faiths (Hinduism and Buddhism) were the majority in the Indonesian archipelago, especially in Java and Sumatra . As a result, numerous Hindu temples, locally known as candi , were constructed and dominated the landscape of Java. The candi architecture follows the typical Indonesian architectural traditions based on Vastu Shastra . The temple layout, especially in

988-468: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lantern Festival During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns ( traditional Chinese : 猜燈謎 ; simplified Chinese : 猜灯谜 ; pinyin : cāidēngmí ). In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only

1064-464: Is the Dragon Pole. This is a lantern in the shape of a golden dragon, spiraling up a 38-meter-high pole, spewing fireworks from its mouth. Cities such as Hangzhou and Shanghai have adopted electric and neon lanterns, which can often be seen beside their traditional paper or wooden counterparts. Another popular activity at this festival is guessing lantern riddles, a tradition which dates back to

1140-470: Is the structure of sun-baked bricks called a ziggurat , having the form of a terraced step pyramid with a flat upper terrace where the shrine or temple stood. Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the deities to reside on earth. Indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr , means 'mansion (or enclosure) of a god'. A god's presence in

1216-607: Is used frequently in the tradition of Eastern Christianity ; particularly the Eastern Orthodox Church , where the principal words used for houses of worship are temple and church . The use of the word temple comes from the need to distinguish a building of the church vs. the church seen as the Body of Christ. In the Russian language (similar to other Slavic languages ), while the general-purpose word for 'church'

1292-636: The Ajanta Caves and the Ellora Caves ( Maharashtra ). The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar is another well-known example. As Buddhism spread, Buddhist architecture diverged in style, reflecting the similar trends in Buddhist art. Building form was also influenced to some extent by the different forms of Buddhism in the northern countries, practising Mahayana Buddhism in the main and in

1368-633: The Baháʼí Faith (which are often simply referred to as Baháʼí House of Worship ), Taoism (which are sometimes called Daoguan ), Shinto (which are often called Jinja ), Confucianism (which are sometimes called the Temple of Confucius ). Religions whose places of worship are generally not called "temples" in English include Christianity , which has churches , Islam with mosques , and Judaism with synagogues (although some of these use "temple" as

1444-597: The Central Java period, incorporated mandala temple plan arrangements and also the typical high towering spires of Hindu temples. The candi was designed to mimic Meru , the holy mountain and the abode of the gods. In contemporary Indonesian Buddhist perspective, candi refers to a shrine, either ancient or new. Several contemporary viharas in Indonesia, for example, contain an actual-size replica or reconstruction of famous Buddhist temples, such as

1520-615: The Dome of the Rock ( c.  690 CE ). The Greek word synagogue came into use to describe Jewish (and Samaritan ) places of worship during Hellenistic times and it, along with the Yiddish term shul , and the original Hebrew term Beit Knesset ('House of meeting') are the terms in most universal usage. Since the 18th century, Jews in Western and Central Europe began to apply

1596-595: The Dravidian style of the south and the Nagara style of the north, with other regional styles. The basic elements of the Hindu temple remain the same across all periods and styles. The most essential feature is the inner sanctuary, the garbhagriha or womb-chamber, where the primary murti or cult image of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. Around this chamber there are often other structures and buildings, in

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1672-781: The Hagia Sophia , Saint Basil's Cathedral , Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia , the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade , Serbia . The word temple has traditionally been rarely used in the English-speaking Western Christian tradition . In Irish , some pre-schism churches use the word teampall . The usual word for church in the Hungarian language

1748-693: The Mariavite Church in Poland have chosen to also designate their central church building as a temple, as in the case of the Temple of Mercy and Charity in Płock . According to Latter Day Saints , in 1832, Joseph Smith received a revelation to restore the practice of temple worship , in a "house of the Lord". The Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the Latter-day Saint movement and

1824-811: The Tanakh Beit YHWH , which translates literally as ' YHWH 's House'. In English "temple" is the normal term for them. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the site where the First Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple were built. At the center of the structure was the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest could enter. The Temple Mount is now the site of the Islamic edifice,

1900-437: The emperor and noblemen had large ornate lanterns. In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs. For example, lanterns are now often made in the shape of animals. The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones, which they will let go of the next year. The lanterns are almost always red to symbolize good fortune. The festival acts as an Uposatha day on

1976-527: The Chinese Zodiac takes place. For example, 2022—the year of the tiger; 2023—the year of the rabbit (water rabbit); and so on. In the early days, young people were chaperoned in the streets in hopes of finding love. Matchmakers acted busily in hopes of pairing couples. The brightest lanterns were symbolic of good luck and hope. As time has passed, the festival no longer has such implications in most of Mainland China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong. Eaten during

2052-664: The Chinese calendar. It should not be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival ; which is sometimes also known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Indonesia , Malaysia , and Singapore . Lantern Festivals have also become popular in Western countries, such as the Water Lantern Festival held in multiple locations in the United States . There are several beliefs about the origin of

2128-489: The Han dynasty, Dongfang Shuo was a favorite adviser 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. Shuo stopped her and asked why. She said she was Yuan-Xiao, a maid in the emperor's palace and that she never had a chance to see her family since she started working there. If she could not have the chance to show her filial piety in this life, she would rather die. Shuo promised to find

2204-564: The Indian stupas. The initial function of a stupa was the veneration and safe-guarding of the relics of Gautama Buddha . The earliest archaeologically known example of a stupa is the relic stupa located in Vaishali , Bihar in India. In accordance with changes in religious practice, stupas were gradually incorporated into chaitya-grihas (prayer halls). These are exemplified by the complexes of

2280-577: The Indian subcontinent ( India , Bangladesh and Nepal ), Hindu temples have been built in various countries around the world . Either following the historic diffusion of Hinduism across Asia (e.g. ancient stone temples of Cambodia and Indonesia ), or following the migration of the Indian Hindus' diaspora , to Western Europe (esp. Great Britain ), North America (the United States and Canada ), as well as Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, Mauritius and South Africa . Buddhist temples include

2356-733: The Jain temples in South India, which in turn are quite different from Jain temples in West India. Additionally, a manastambha (literally 'column of honor') is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples. A Sikh temple is called a gurdwara, literally the "doorway to the Guru". Its most essential element is the presence of the Guru, Guru Granth Sahib . The gurdwara has an entrance from all sides, signifying that they are open to all without any distinction whatsoever. The gurdwara has

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2432-404: The Lantern Festival with an ancient warrior named Lan Moon, who led a rebellion against the tyrannical king in ancient China. He was killed in the storming of the city and the successful rebels commemorated the festival in his name. Yet another common legend dealing with the origins of the Lantern Festival speaks of a beautiful crane that flew down to earth from heaven. After it landed on earth it

2508-497: The Lantern Festival, tangyuan '湯圓' (Southern China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia) or yuanxiao '元宵' (Northern China) is a glutinous rice ball typically filled with sweet red bean paste, sesame paste, or peanut butter. Tangyuan is different from yuanxiao due to different manual making and filling processes. It can be boiled, fried or steamed, each has independent taste. However, they are very similar in shape and taste, so most people do not distinguish them for convenience and consider them as

2584-486: The Lantern Festival. However, its roots trace back more than 2,000 years and is popularly linked to the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty . Emperor Ming, an advocate of Buddhism, noticed Buddhist monks would light lanterns in temples on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month . As a result, he ordered all households, temples and the imperial palace to light lanterns on that evening. From there it developed into

2660-517: The Song dynasty. Lion dance ( 舞獅 ), walk on stilts ( 踩高蹺 ), riddle games ( 猜燈謎 ), dragon dances ( 耍龍燈 ) are very popular activities during the festival day and the days following. The lantern riddle, according to Japanese scholars, became popular as early as the Northern Song dynasty (960–1126). The lantern riddles are done by a host blocking one side of the lantern and pasting riddles on

2736-869: The ancient Americas by a group of people called the Nephites . Though Book of Mormon authors are not explicit about the practices in these Nephite temples, they were patterned "after the manner of the temple of Solomon" ( ) and served as gathering places for significant religious and political events (e.g. Mosiah 1–6; 3rd Nephi 11–26). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a prolific builder of temples. The LDS Church has 367 temples in various phases, which includes 201 dedicated temples (192 operating and 9 previously-dedicated, but closed for renovation ), 3 scheduled for dedication , 48 under construction , 1 scheduled for groundbreaking , and 114 others announced (not yet under construction). Latter-day Saint temples are reserved for performing and undertaking only

2812-672: The ancient Roman religion. In some cases it is hard to determine whether a temple was a building or an outdoor shrine. For temple buildings of the Germanic peoples , the Old Norse term hof is often used. A Zoroastrian temple may also be called a Dar-e-mehr and an Atashkadeh . A fire temple in Zoroastrianism is the place of worship for Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians revere fire in any form, and their temples contains an eternal flame , with Atash Behram (Fire of Victory) as

2888-787: The base constructed from an elevated platform of earth and stones, most parts of Chinese temples are made of timber carpentry, with parts of brick masonry and glazed ceramics for roofs and tile decorations. Typical Chinese temples have curved overhanging eaves and complicated carpentry of stacked roof construction. Chinese temples are known for their vivid colour and rich decorations. Their roofs are often decorated with mythical beasts, such as Chinese dragons and qilins , and sometimes also Chinese deities. Chinese temples can be found throughout Mainland China and Taiwan , and also where Chinese expatriate communities have settled abroad; thus Chinese temples can be found in Chinatowns worldwide. Candi

2964-476: The big cities in China. Today, the displaying of lanterns is still a major event on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month throughout China. Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan Province, for example, holds a lantern fair each year in Culture Park. During the Lantern Festival, the park is a virtual ocean of lanterns. Many new designs attract large numbers of visitors. The most eye-catching lantern

3040-401: The building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Hindu temples are known by many different names, varying on region and language, including Alayam, Mandir , Mandira , Ambalam , Gudi , Kavu , Koil , Kovil , Déul , Raul , Devasthana , Devalaya , Devayatan , Devakula , Devagiriha , Degul , Deva Mandiraya , and Devalayam . Hindu temple architecture is mainly divided into

3116-447: The city should hang red lantern and explode fire crackers. Lastly, everyone in the palace and people outside the city should carry their lanterns on the street to watch the lantern decorations and fireworks. The Jade Emperor would be deceived and everyone would avoid the disastrous fire. The emperor happily followed the plan. Lanterns were everywhere in the capital city on the night of the fifteenth lunisolar day and people were walking on

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3192-553: The destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning with Qin Shi Huang , the first emperor of China, all the emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it to be one of

3268-505: The earth for liquid libations of animal sacrifices, milk, honey, and wine. The building which housed the cult statue or agalma in its cella was located in the center of the temple in Greek architecture, while in Rome, the cella was in the back. Greek temple architecture had a profound influence on ancient architectural traditions. Greco-Roman temples were built facing eastward, utilizing

3344-415: The emperor the decree which stated that the capital city would burn down on the fifteenth. When the emperor asked Dongfang Shuo for advice, the latter said that the God of Fire liked to eat tangyuan (sweet dumplings). Yuan-Xiao should cook tangyuan on the fifteenth lunisolar day and the emperor should order every house to prepare tangyuan to worship the God of Fire at the same time. Also, every house in

3420-451: The empires expanded, the temples grew to monumental size, made out of materials such as stone and marble on raised platforms. While the color has long since faded, The columns would have been painted in white, blue, red, and black. Above the columns would have been a sculpted or painted depiction of a myth or battle, with freestanding sculptures in the pediment triangles. The roofs were tiled and had sculptures of mythical animals or deities on

3496-442: The feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl or Mesoamerican creation myths , written in the form of hieroglyphs on the rises of the steps of the pyramids, on the walls, and on the sculptures contained within. Notable example include Aztec Acatitlan and Mayan Chichen Itza , Uxmal and Tikal . In Judaism , the ancient Hebrew texts refer to a "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall" for each of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem , called in

3572-423: The founding deity of the city, but also served as civic and social centers. The Temple of Saturn even held the state treasury and treasury offices in its basement. The Romans usually referred to a holy place of a pagan religion as fanum ; in some cases this referred to a sacred grove, in others to a temple. Medieval Latin writers also sometimes used the word templum , previously reserved for temples of

3648-523: The gala performances. By the beginning of the Tang dynasty in the seventh century, the lantern displays would last three days. The emperor also lifted the curfew, allowing the people to enjoy the festive lanterns day and night. It is not difficult to find Chinese poems which describe this happy scene. In the Song dynasty , the festival was celebrated for five days and the activities began to spread to many of

3724-459: The hearth fire raised to a new solemnity". Chinese temples refer to temples in accordance with Chinese culture , which serve as a house of worship for Chinese faiths, namely Confucianism , Taoism , Buddhism and Chinese folk religion . Chinese temples were born from the age-old religion and tradition of Chinese people since the ancient era of imperial China , thus they are usually built in typical classical Chinese architecture . Other than

3800-468: The highest grade of all, as it combines 16 different types of fire gathered in elaborate rituals. In the Zoroastrian religion, fire ( Atar ), together with clean water ( Aban ), are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies is regarded as the basis of ritual life," which, "are essentially the rites proper to the tending of a domestic fire, for the temple fire is that of

3876-409: The largest cases covering several acres. On the exterior, the garbhagriha is crowned by a tower-like shikhara , also called the vimana in the south. The shrine building may include an ambulatory for parikrama ( circumambulation ), one or more mandapas or congregation halls, and sometimes an antarala antechamber and porch between garbhagriha and mandapa. A Hindu temple is a symbolic house,

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3952-415: The most holy and sacred of covenants and special of ordinances . They are distinct from meeting houses and chapels where weekly worship services are held. The temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and are not to be defiled. Thus, strict rules apply for entrance, including church membership and regular attendance. During the open-house period after its construction and before its dedication,

4028-512: The most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night. Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism . Tianguan is the Taoist deity responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment, so followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune. Another legend associates with

4104-540: The name temple , borrowed from the French where it was used to denote all non-Catholic prayer houses, to synagogues. The term became strongly associated with Reform institutions, in some of which both congregants and outsiders associated it with the elimination of the prayers for the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple, though this was not the original meaning—traditional synagogues named themselves "temple" over

4180-592: The only one completed in Smith's lifetime, although the Nauvoo Temple was partially complete at the time of his death . The schisms stemming from a succession crisis have led to differing views about the role and use of temples between various groups with competing succession claims. The Book of Mormon , which Latter Day Saints believe is a companion book of scripture with the Bible, refers to temple building in

4256-431: The remaining three sides of the lanterns. Participants will guess the blocked side by solving the riddles, which is called "breaking/solving lantern riddles". The theme of riddles can be drawn from classics, biographies, poetry, the various philosophers' well-known stories and novels, proverbs, (the names of) all kinds of birds, animals, and insects, as well as flowers, grasses, vegetables, and herbs. Participants can tear off

4332-545: The replica of Pawon and Plaosan 's perwara (small) temples. According to local beliefs, the Java valley had thousands of Hindu temples that co-existed with Buddhist temples, most of which were buried in the massive eruption of Mount Merapi in 1006 CE. Temples of the Mesoamerican civilization usually took the shape of stepped pyramids with temples or shrines on top of the massive structure. They are more akin to

4408-464: The riddle of the lantern and let the host verify their answers. Those who answer the correct answer can get a "riddle reward", including ink, paper, writing brushes, ink slabs, fans, perfumed sachets, fruit, or eatables. Temple A temple (from the Latin templum ) is a place of worship , a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice . By convention,

4484-498: The rising sun in morning rituals. The location each temple was built also depended on many factors such as environment, myth, function, and divine experience. Most were built on sites associated with myths or a place a god had been believed to have performed a feat, or founded a town or city. Many Roman temples had close associations with important events in Roman history, such as military victories. Temples in cities were often dedicated to

4560-415: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Shangyuan . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shangyuan&oldid=1198232722 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

4636-404: The same thing. Chinese people believe that the round shape of the balls and the bowls in which they are served symbolize family togetherness, and that eating tangyuan or yuanxiao may bring the family harmony, happiness and luck in the new year. During the Sui dynasty in the sixth century, Emperor Yang invited envoys from other countries to China to see the colourful lighted lanterns and enjoy

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4712-439: The seat and dwelling of Hindu gods . It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together according to Hindu faith . Inside its garbhagriha innermost sanctum, a Hindu temple contains a murti or Hindu god's image. Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. There is evidence of the use of sacred ground as far back as the Bronze Age and later during the Indus Valley civilization . Outside of

4788-410: The south where Theravada Buddhism prevailed. A Jain temple, called a Derasar , is the place of worship for Jains , the followers of Jainism . Some famous Jain temples are Shikharji , Palitana temples , Ranakpur Jain temple , Shravan Belgola , Dilwara Temples and Lal Mandir . Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from

4864-683: The specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temple" in English, while those of other religions are not, even though they fulfill very similar functions. The religions for which the terms are used include the great majority of ancient religions that are now extinct, such as the Ancient Egyptian religion and the Ancient Greek religion . Among religions still active: Hinduism (whose temples are called Mandir or Kovil ), Buddhism (whose temples are called Vihar ), Sikhism (whose temples are called gurudwara ), Jainism (whose temples are sometimes called derasar ), Zoroastrianism (whose temples are sometimes called Agiary ),

4940-402: The street and there were noisy firecrackers. It looked as if the entire city was on fire. Yuan-Xiao's parents went into the palace to watch the lantern decorations and were reunited with their daughter. The emperor decreed that people should do the same thing every year. Since Yuan-Xiao cooked the best tangyuan , people called the day Yuan-Xiao Festival. For each Festival celebrated, a switch in

5016-419: The structures called stupa , wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. A Buddhist temple might contain a meditation hall hosting Buddharupa , or the image of Buddha , as the object of concentration and veneration during a meditation. The stupa domed structures are also used in a circumambulation ritual called Pradakshina . Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of

5092-417: The temple is open to the public for tours. Various sects in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith have temples. Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with its origins in the eighteenth century whose membership is held together by a shared set of moral and metaphysical ideals based on short role play narratives concerning the construction of King Solomon's Temple. Freemasons meet as

5168-432: The temple linked the human and divine realms and allowed humans to interact with the god through ritual. These rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were, therefore, a key part of the maintenance of maat , the ideal order of nature and of human society in Egyptian belief. Maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion , and thus it

5244-407: The thirteenth lunisolar day, the God of Fire would send a fairy in red riding a black horse to burn down the city. When people saw the fairy they should ask for her mercy. On that day, Yuan-Xiao pretended to be the red fairy. When people asked for her help, she said that she had a copy of a decree from the God of Fire that should be taken to the emperor. After she left, people went to the palace to show

5320-413: The tops or corners. Greek temples also had several standard floor plans with very distinct column placement. Located in the front of the temple were altars intended for sacrifices or offerings. Ouranic altars were usually square, lined with a metal pan for burnt offerings, and a flat top which was necessary for the ouranic gods to receive offerings. Chthonic altars, called bothros , were pits dug into

5396-414: The village was already ablaze, and returned to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor. Satisfied, the Jade Emperor decided not to burn down the village. From that day on, people celebrate the anniversary on the fifteenth lunisolar day every year by carrying lanterns on the streets and exploding firecrackers and fireworks. Another legend about the origins of Lantern Festival involves a maid named Yuan-Xiao. In

5472-416: The whole main building, can only be accessed by the clergy. Temples typically have a main building and a larger precinct , which may contain many other buildings or may be a dome-shaped structure, much like an igloo. The word comes from Ancient Rome , where a templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur . It has the same root as the word "template", a plan in preparation for

5548-1011: The word temple in reference of a place of worship on rare occasions. An example is the Roman Catholic Sagrada Familia Temple in Barcelona, Spain and the Roman Catholic Basilique du Sacré-Cœur Temple in Paris, France. Another example is the Temple or Our Lady of the Pillar, a church in Guadalajara , Mexico . Some Protestant churches use this term; above main entrance of the Lutheran Gustav Vasa church in Stockholm , Sweden

5624-465: The ziggurats of Mesopotamia than to Egyptian ones. A single or several flight(s) of steep steps from the base lead to the temple that stood on the plateau on top of the pyramid. The stone temple might be a square or a rounded structure with a door opening leading to a cella or inner sanctum. The plateau on top of the pyramid in front of the temple is where the ritualistic sacrifice took place. Some classic Mesoamerican pyramids are adorned with stories about

5700-468: Was hunted and killed by some villagers. This angered the Jade Emperor in heaven because the crane was his favorite. So, he planned a storm of fire to destroy the village on the fifteenth lunisolar day. The Jade Emperor's daughter warned the inhabitants of her father's plan to destroy their village. The village was in turmoil because nobody knew how they could escape their imminent destruction. However,

5776-625: Was the purpose of a temple as well. Ancient Egyptian temples were also of economic significance to Egyptian society. The temples stored and redistributed grain and came to own large portions of the nation's arable land (some estimate as much as 33% by the New Kingdom period). In addition, many of these Egyptian temples utilized the Tripartite Floor Plan in order to draw visitors to the center room. Greek and Roman temples were originally built out of wood and mud bricks, but as

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