Chinese Lantern Festival

chinaculture.org | Updated: 2011-02-24 15:22

The Lantern Festival of 2011 falls on February 17. There is no holiday for this traditional festival. Schedule of Lantern Festival in recent years is showed in the table.

Year	Date of Lantern Festival
2010	February 28
2011	February 17
2012	February 6
2013	February 24
2014	February 14
2015	March 5

Introduction to Lantern Festival

Falling on the 15th day of the first lunar month, Lantern Festival is the first significant festival after Spring Festival, so called because the most important activity during the night of the event is watching lanterns. And because every household eats yuanxiao (a rice ball stuffed with different fillings) on that day, it is called Yuan Xiao Festival. For its rich and colorful activities, it is regarded as the most recreational among all the Chinese festivals and a festival for appreciating the bright full moon, and family reunion.

History

There are multiple theories and legends surrounding the origins of the Lantern Festival. According to Cultural China, emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty introduced the Lantern Festival in order to promote the rise of Buddhism in China at that time. The emperors heard that on this day, Buddhist monks would visit the cremated remains of Buddha's body and light lanterns as a tribute. The Han Dynasty emperors ordered lanterns to be hung in the palaces, temples and streets to honor Buddha.

Lantern Festival customs

Lantern Festival customs 1 : Making lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way. (or keep off evil spirits)

Lantern Festival customs 2: The traditional dim sum eaten on Lantern Festival is called "yuanxiao" (rice glue ball) or commonly called "tangyuan". A meaning of family reunion and happiness may be felt even only from such name. Yuanxiao has its exterior made into a ball shape and white sugar, sweetened bean paste, and sesame as the stuffing. Besides, walnut meat, nuts, and even meat can be used as the stuffing as well. Apart from the boiling manner, yuanxiao may also be prepared through deep frying and steaming manners.

Lantern Festival customs 3: Watching fancy lanterns, Lantern Festival is the Chinese Valentine’s Day in the ancient China, the lovers go to the street which decorate with lanterns and coloured ribbons together, and watching the fancy lanterns.

Lantern Festival customs 4: Sending Lanterns, some blessing text were wrote on the lanterns to give the people who received the lanterns a good blessing.

Lantern Festival customs 5: Greeting the immortal of toilet, Chinese women use a red Shau Kei as a sedan chair, and greet the immortal of toilet (This immortal died under torture when she is alive).

Lantern Festival customs 6: Crossing the bridge for no illnesses, Chinese women go across the bridge with each other women, they believe this can help them no illnesses in the next year.

Lantern Festival customs 7: Stealing crops, Young women who steal men’s crops believe it would help them to keep the health of the their silkworm, improving the production of silk.

Lantern Festival customs 8: Hunting festival, 36 young women will pose as 36 different prey and dance beside the bonfire, the men arm with hunting weapons and dancing around the prey.

Lantern Festival customs 9:Guessing Lantern Riddles, beginning from the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), guessing lantern riddles is regarded as an indispensable part of the Lantern Festival. The lantern exhibition organizers write all kinds of riddles on pieces of paper, and paste them on colorful lanterns to let visitors guess. If one has an answer to a riddle, he can pull the paper from the lantern to let organizers verify the answer. Gifts are presented to the people who get the right answers.