 Chinese Lantern Festival
Chinese Lantern
Festival, or Yuanxiao Jie (元宵节), falls on the 15th day of the first
month of the Lunar year; the Lantern Festival takes place under a full
bright moon, and marks the ending of the celebration of the Chinese New
Year festivities.
Chinese started
celebrating the Lantern Festival from the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 221 AD)
over 2000 years ago.
Like other traditional Chinese festivals, Chinese Lantern festival is a
holiday for people gathering together and having fun. Families will go
out and enjoy the beautiful lanterns displayed by individuals,
companies or the local municipal; especially at night time, some
streets or parks are
literally an ocean of lanterns that attract countless visitors. Usually
the organizer will arrange competitions so people can vote for the most
beautiful lantern.
Lanterns are very diverse. Many of them illustrate scenes from historic
Chinese stories and legends that express traditional values. Some are
made to represent the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac and heroic
figures. The variety of lanterns is limitless.
Night markets are especially setup around the displaying parks and
streets for selling varieties of hand made lanterns and other crafts.
Kids will carry their own lanterns to participate in the showcase.
Another fun activity that most people participate is to try to solve
the riddles posted on lanterns. Riddles are written on pieces of paper
and posted on lanterns or wall. Any one solving the riddle is awarded a
prize.
Lanterns are also displayed in other festivals such Lanterns are also
displayed in other festivals such as Moon Festival
Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of
celebrating the Lantern Festival is making and eating of small dumpling
balls (yuanxiao or tangyuan) made of glutinous rice flour.
The custom of eating Yuanxiao originated
during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, and became very
popular during the Tang and Song Dynasty till today.
The fillings inside the Yuanxiao are either sweet or salty. People in
the North prefer sweet taste while people in the south like salty
better. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, peanut, walnuts, sesame, rose
petals, sweetened tangerine peel, bean paste, or jujube paste. A
single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling. The
salty variety is filled with minced meat, vegetables or mixture.
Take a look at the lantern displays from this
page: Chinese
Lantern Festival
Other Chinese Traditional
Festivals
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