Lantern festival

Lantern festival

Do you love lanterns? Most of us would have seen them in videos or movies, alright. But the Chinese people celebrate the Lantern Festival. No issues, you can go to China to celebrate this festival, if you love letting go of lanterns. So in this article, we are going to see the Lantern festival in detail.

In the Ancient period, the lanterns were simple enough and only the kings and noblemen had the large lanterns. But in modern times, the lanterns are designed in different shapes and anyone can use it.

Some lanterns even have complex designs like the shape of animals, etc. Letting go a lantern means or symbolize that people let go of their past-selves and renew themselves and again they let it go the next year. This symbolizes good fortune.

China's Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month. This festival marks the last day of China's most significant festival. The Lantern Festival is held on the full moon night in the Chinese calendar and it also indicates the return of the Spring season in China and symbolizes the reunion of family.

History

Let’s see what history says about this Lantern festival. This festival dates back to 2000 years ago. It seems that the Emperor Hanmingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was an advocate of Buddhism and he heard that the Buddhist monk followed a ritual where the monks lit Lanterns in their temples as a mark of respect to Buddha on every 15th day of the first lunar month.

So this emperor ordered his people to follow the same tradition in all houses, temples, and in the royal palace itself. And thus the Buddhist custom is followed until now and it is celebrated as a grand festival among the people.

How do the Chinese celebrate the lantern festival?

There are so many activities done to celebrate this festival, people gather together on the night to celebrate the festival. Some of the important customs followed on this day are enjoying letting go of lanterns, guessing the lantern riddles, lion dances, and eating Tangyuan.

Lighting the lanterns is the most important activity of this festival. During this festival, lanterns of different shapes and sizes are seen all around. By doing this activity, people pray for a smooth future and also express their best wishes for their friends and families.

Guessing lantern riddles is the next important activity, where the lantern owners write riddles on their lanterns. The one who solves the riddles will get a small gift from the lantern owner.

Lion dances, sounds fascinating right? This dance is one of the most traditional folk dances in China. The lion was regarded as a symbol of strength and bravery by the ancient people and also believed that Lions can drive away evil and protect people and also their livestock. So lion dances are performed on every important occasion and the Lantern festival is one among them. Nowadays the lion dance is spread across some countries like Malaysia and Singapore.

Tangyuan which is also called Yuanxiao is made up of glutinous rice flour and it is stuffed with a variety of fillings like brown sugar, white sugar, rose petals, bean paste, peanuts, walnuts, and jujube paste or a combination of ingredients. Tangyuan's taste’s sweet and eating them is another important custom of the lantern festival.

Some of the best places to visit in China during the lantern festivals are Qinhuai International Lantern Festival, Guangzhou Yuexiu Park Lantern Fair, and Shanghai Yuyuan Lantern Festival. These places are best known for you to get an amazing view of the colourful lanterns and performances.

You may also check out Lantern Festival Hawaii

Bonus Information:

In 2021, this festival is held on February, 26 and in 2022, this festival is held on February, 15.

Final words:

This is all about the lantern festival in China. If you are a lover of lantern then you must visit China to attend the Lantern Festival. Also, share your experience if you have been to this festival in the comment section.

Images of Lantern Festival