The Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao Jie is a traditional Chinese festival, which is on the 15th of the first month of the Chinese New Year. The festival marks the end of the celebrations of the Chinese New Year.

Chinese started to celebrate the Lantern Festival from the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 221 AD). Like most other Chinese festivals, there is also a story behind the Festival. It is also believed that the festival has Taoist origins.

This is a festival for people having fun. On the night of the festival, people go on streets with a variety of lanterns under the full moon, watching lions or dragon dancing, playing Chinese riddles and games, and lighting up firecrackers. There is really a lot of fun for the young and the old.

Yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) or Tangyuan is the special food for the Lantern Festival. It is believed that Yuanxiao is named after a palace maid, Yuanxiao, of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty. Yuanxiao is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing.

Yuanxiao is sticky, sweet and round in shape, symbolizing family unity, completeness and happiness.

You can find Yuanxiao in oriental food stores. If you enjoy cooking, here is a recipe of Yuanxiao for you.

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups (500 g) sticky rice flour

butter 7 oz (200 g)

black sesame powder 7 oz (200 g)

sugar 8 oz (250 g)

1 tsp wine

Methods

1. Mix the butter with sesame powder, sugar and wine together. You need to heat a little bit. Make small balls about 0.3-0.4 oz (10 g)each.

2. Take 1/2 cup of sticky rice flour. Add water into the flour and make a flatten dough. Cook it in boiled water and take out until done. Let it cool down. Then put it in the rest of the sticky rice flour. Add water and knead until the dough is smooth.

3. Make the dough into small pieces about 0.3-0.4 oz (10 g) each. Make it like a ball using hands first and then make a hole in the ball like a snail. Put the sesame ball into it and close it up.

4. Cook them in boiled water. Make sure to keep stirring in one direction while cooking. When they float on the water, continue to boil for about one minute using less heat.

“燈節”或者叫做“元宵節”是中國的傳統佳節，在每年的農歷正月十五這一天慶祝。元宵節的到來也標志著春節的結束。

元宵節的傳統可以追溯到西漢時期，像其他的傳統節日一樣，關于元宵節也有一個美麗的傳說。據說，與道家的傳統有關。

按中國民間的傳統，在這天上皓月高懸的夜晚，人們要點起彩燈萬盞，以示慶賀。出門賞月、燃燈放焰、喜猜燈謎、共吃元宵，合家團聚、同慶佳節，其樂融融。

元宵（黏米團子）或者叫做湯圓是元宵節這一天必吃的食物。相傳漢武帝時宮中有一位宮女，名叫“元宵”，長年幽于宮中，思念父母，終日以淚洗面。大臣東方朔決心幫助她，于是對漢武帝謊稱，火神奉玉帝之命于正月十五火燒長安，要逃過動難，唯一的辦法是讓“元宵姑娘” 在正月十五這天做很多火神愛吃的湯圓，并由全體臣民張燈供奉。武帝準湊，“元宵姑娘”終于見到家人。此后，便形成了元宵節。元宵這種食物實際上是甜餡“餃子”的一種，用粘糯米和甜的餡料制成。

元宵口感粘糯，口味香甜，外觀渾圓，象征著一家人團圓、美滿和幸福。在一般的中國店鋪都可以買到。這里就向您介紹一個做元宵的食譜：

原料：

500克黏糯米面

200克黃油

200克黑芝麻粉

250克白糖

一茶匙酒

方法：

1、將黃油、黑芝麻粉、白糖和酒混合，加熱一會，搓成10克左右的小團。

2、取約100克黏糯米面，加水和成面團，放在開水中煮熟。晾涼后加入到剩余的糯米面中，揉捏到平滑。

3、將面團分成10克左右的小團，用手搓成球形，再在中間刺出一個蝸形，再把之前做好的芝麻餡填充進去。

4、在開水中煮熟，在煮的過程中要始終順著一個方向攪拌，湯圓全部浮起在水面后小火再煮一分鐘，即可。

（來源：愛詞霸沙龍 英語點津姍姍編輯）