The Lantern Festival, or 元宵节 (Yuán xiāo jié) is a widely celebrated holiday all over China. This year, it was on February 11. This holiday occurs on the last day of the Chinese New Year—the fifteenth day of the Lunar Calendar. The Lantern Festival originated during the Han Dynasty when the Emperor heard of Buddhist monks lighting lamps to show respect to the gods.
Some of the traditions of this holiday include:
Dragon Dances
Eating tāngyuán 汤圆 or yuánxiāo 元宵 (where the name comes from)
Or simply enjoying lanterns!
Check out these beautiful pictures of Lantern Festival celebrations this year!
Beijing 2017
Shanghai 2017
This article was very interesting. I learned so many new things. Reading this made me want to learn more about the traditions of the Lantern Festival.
Great article! I always love learning new facts about Chinese history and culture. With a culture as old and vibrant as China’s, it is no surprise that there are so many traditions.
Some of the students in National Chinese Honor Society actually held a Lion Dance performance during the school day to celebrate the New Year! Thank you for sharing these traditions of the Lantern Festival with us.
Great article! I enjoyed eating some 汤圆 yesterday and went to watch a dragon dance last week! I never knew how large the Lantern Festival festivities are in the big Chinese cities. Very interesting!
Great article! I never knew that the Lantern Festival originated during the Han Dynasty. Shang Hai looks beautiful during the Lantern Festival. I want to visit there one day!
This is a great article because it taught me a lot I wasn’t aware about this festival.
I enjoyed eating 汤圆 ever since I was a kid! I hope I can go back to China next year to celebrate the Latern Festival!