Though the Lights Fest was not an explicit Chinese celebration, I just wanted to share this magical moment with all of our TDC readers. In fact, the Chinese do incorporate floating lanterns into their own traditions.
Floating lanterns made out of rice paper and bamboo are released into the sky to celebrate various festivals in Chinese culture, two of which are the Lantern Festival and the QiXi Festival. On these biodegradable lanterns, people write down their wishes and hope that whoever is listening from the heavens grant their wishes or guide them on their paths.
The QiXi Festival is coming up in less than a month on August 7th. This day is the equivalent of a Chinese Valentine’s Day. The origin of this festival comes from a love story between a cowhand and a weaver by the names of 牛郎 (niú láng) and 织女 (zhí nǚ). Their love for each other was forbidden by the Queen of the Heavens. However, they were able to find their way to each other. Find out more about this story in Michael Pecorara’s article. Releasing floating lanterns into the sky is a popular tradition among the Taiwanese on this day. As they release the lanterns, they make wishes for love and possible guidance from the lovers — Niulang and Zhinu.
The Lantern Festival is also known as 元宵节 (yuánxiāo jié), the 15th and last day of the Chinese New Year. Children celebrate by solving riddles written on lanterns to earn prizes, and people write their wishes on their lanterns that they will release soon after. There are several beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival, one of them being that it was to honor Buddhist traditions during the reign of Emperor Ming. Buddhism during that time was growing and the Emperor took notice to the fact that monks lit lanterns during the last day of Chinese New Year. Therefore, the Emperor decided to also make it a tradition for the people and has since been passed down throughout Chinese History.
Watching the glowing lanterns slowly drift away into the heavens is truly a beautiful and magical experience. If there is another opportunity to experience this, I will definitely go again. Would you?
Great article! I didn’t know that floating lanterns were made out of rice paper and bamboo. I learned that floating lanterns are released on QiXi Festival and that it’s equivalent to a Chinese Valentine’s Day. I’ve heard that multiple people who go to Taiwan will write their wishes and hopes on a lantern and then let it fly into the sky. Overall, very informative article!
Really great and informative article. I would so love to go one day to see the floating lanterns. They seem so beautiful in the night sky. They are probably so mesmerizing to watch float away into the night. How do the lanterns float? Wouldn’t the rice paper and bamboo be too heavy for the lanterns to float?
lol thanks for sharing though! When everyone floated their lanterns in the video it was so beautiful! This was also super informational about what lanterns are made of! This holiday seems so fun! I hope all of your wishes came true!