Happy Lantern Festival 2018!

This Friday, March 2nd, 2018, marks the final day of the Chinese New Year! Unlike the New Year celebrations held on January 1st, Chinese New Year celebrations last many days and end on the day of the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival is always held on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, and according to the lunar calendar, this is the day of the first appearance of a full moon of the New Year. In Chinese, this festival is called 元宵节 (yuánxiāo jié). During the Lantern Festival, Chinese people celebrate by creating red paper lanterns and including riddles on them. This tradition was started during the Song Dynasty, and ever since, people have loved the practice of solving fun riddles, not only because the riddles are entertaining, but also because of the knowledge that can be gained from them. The lanterns are red, as the color red symbolizes good fortune and prosperity in the Chinese culture. These paper lanterns are called 灯笼 (dēnglóng), and the tradition of solving riddles is called猜灯谜 (cāi dēngmí), which literally translates to “guess lantern riddles.”

In addition to creating lanterns during the festival, people congregate outside to admire the first full moon of the New Year and release their lanterns into the night sky, symbolizing the acceptance of their new life during the New Year.

During the festival, people assemble to take nature walks to get rid of bad health and bad fortune. Chinese people also traditionally eat glutinous rice balls that have a sweet filling, such as red bean paste or peanut butter. Personally, my favorite filling is the delicious sesame paste. This traditional food is called 湯圓 (tāngyuán) and represents good luck for family relationships. Let me know in the comments below if you have ever tried 湯圓 and what your favorite filling is! Also, comment below if you have ever celebrated the Lantern Festival and if so, what your thoughts are about it! Until next time, and Happy Chinese New Year!

 

References

http://www.china.com.cn/ch-jieri/yuanxiao/1.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Festival

https://www.chinlingo.com/articles/801422/

http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/feature_2/Traditional_Fesitival/Lantern_Day/Cuisine_LD/t1021328.htm