another legend associates the lantern festival with taoism. tianguan is the taoist god responsible for good fortune. his birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar 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.
yet another common legend dealing with the origins of the lantern festival speaks of a beautiful bird that flew down to earth from heaven, which was hunted and killed by some villagers. this angered the jade emperor in heaven because the bird was his favorite one. therefore, he planned a storm of fire to destroy the village on the 15th lunar day. the jade emperor's daughter heard of this plan, and warned the villagers of her father’s plan to destroy their village. the village was in turmoil because nobody knew how should they escape their imminent destruction.
