The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival with great significance, which is on the 15th of the first lunar month, marking the end of New Year celebrations. Here are some things you should know about the Lantern Festival.
A sea of lanterns
The biggest attraction of the Lantern Festival is the sea of lanterns in different kinds of sizes and shapes. Chinese started to celebrate the Lantern Festival during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-221 AD), and then it became popular during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. This is a festival for people to have fun.
Watching fireworks
In the daytime, there are performances, such as the dragon lantern dance, lion dance, land boat dance, and yangge dance . At night, Most families save some fireworks from the Spring Festival and set them off during the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when the first full moon enters the New Year, people become really excited by the fireworks and bright moon in the sky.
Dragon dance
The dragon dance, a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture, is often seen in some festival celebrations. The dragon dance is often performed during the Chinese New Year period. Chinese dragons are a symbol of China, and they are believed to bring good luck to people, therefore the longer the dragon in the dance, the more luck it will bring to the community.
Eating small dumpling balls
Just as the name implies, an important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuan Xiao Festival, is to eat small dumpling balls made of rice flour. We call these balls Yuan Xiao, or Tang Yuan. The way to make Yuan Xiao also varies between northern and southern China.
