{"id":14650,"date":"2019-02-19T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T13:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=14650"},"modified":"2019-02-12T17:47:39","modified_gmt":"2019-02-12T21:47:39","slug":"lantern-festival-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/lantern-festival-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to the Chinese Lantern Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today marks the fifteenth and final day of the Spring Festival. Known as the\u00a0<strong>Lantern Festival<\/strong>\u00a0(\u5143\u5bb5\u8282 \u2013 yu\u00e1n xi\u0101o ji\u00e9), the Chinese name can be broken down as such \u2013 the character\u00a0\u5143 refers to the first lunar month, and\u00a0\u5bb5 means \u201cnight.\u201d A full moon shines brightly on this night, but that\u2019s not the only light you\u2019ll see up in the sky \u2013 red lanterns and numerous fireworks also illuminate the night sky. Let\u2019s learn a little bit more about the history and traditions associated with this Chinese holiday:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11428\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11428\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11428\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/08\/1-DSC00767.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/08\/1-DSC00767.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/08\/1-DSC00767-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A very colorful Chinese lantern.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">History<\/h2>\n<p>As is true with most Chinese festivals, there are many legends as to how this holiday developed. One such tale states that the first emperor of China,\u00a0<strong>Qinshihuang<\/strong>\u00a0(\u79e6\u59cb\u7687 \u2013 q\u00edn sh\u01d0 hu\u00e1ng), ordered elaborate ceremonies to honor\u00a0<strong>Taiyi<\/strong>\u00a0(\u592a\u4e59 \u2013 t\u00e0i y\u01d0), the God of the Heavens. The idea behind the ceremonies was that Taiyi would bring good health and good weather to the people. Later on in the Han Dynasty, the emperor\u00a0<strong>Wudi<\/strong>\u00a0(\u6c49\u6b66\u5e1d \u2013 h\u00e0n w\u01d4 d\u00ec) made it an official holiday. However this holiday came to be, it is still an integral part of Chinese culture thousands of years later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chinese lantern customs (Hello China #81)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jJ0YbUOUsuw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Learn a bit about the customs of the festival in this video from &#8220;Hello China.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">Lanterns<\/h2>\n<p>Back in the Han Dynasty, <strong>Buddhism<\/strong> (\u4f5b\u6559 &#8211; f\u00f3 ji\u00e0o) became very popular in China. In order to show respect for Buddha, the emperor ordered lanterns to be lit in the palace. During later dynasties, this custom became commonplace amongst all people. These days, you can see lanterns of all shapes and sizes hanging in homes, businesses, and parks all around China.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12580\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12580\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12580\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/09\/02-Xian1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/09\/02-Xian1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/09\/02-Xian1-350x250.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-12580\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chinese scenes during the Lantern Festival.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One thing that most lanterns have in common is the color, as red represents good fortune. One interesting custom associated with these is the practice of\u00a0<strong>solving lantern riddles<\/strong>\u00a0(\u731c\u706f\u8c1c \u2013 c\u0101i d\u0113ng m\u00ed). Here is an example of one such riddle:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Riddle: What building has the most stories?<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Tip: Thing<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Answer: Library<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For some more lantern riddles, check out this hilarious video from the kids at Wujia National Primary School in Tainan, Taiwan:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"1070307 U15 Lantern riddles\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H6CjhUhHHyo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">Yuanxiao<\/h2>\n<p>A special food is prepared for this holiday \u2013 glutinous rice balls called either\u00a0<em><strong>tangyuan<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(\u6c64\u5706 \u2013 t\u0101ng yu\u00e1n) or\u00a0<em><strong>yuanxiao<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(\u5143\u5bb5 \u2013 yu\u00e1n xi\u0101o) in Chinese. These tasty little morsels come with a variety of fillings \u2013 they differ according to the region \u2013 and can be boiled, fried, or steamed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_14652\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/avlxyz\/4249680667\/in\/photolist-bmvYJT-BSj8Fz-bmw1vt-5MSMLV-7twJ1k-v9dr5-v9dsa-7twHWr-7CU11u-qJZcud-7CJDYW-dFU6U8-bUoMnS-dDq8DS-rWw6Qu-bmvVx6\" aria-label=\"4249680667 5a663cecf5 Z\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14652\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14652\"  alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/4249680667_5a663cecf5_z.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/4249680667_5a663cecf5_z.jpg 640w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/4249680667_5a663cecf5_z-350x263.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-14652\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image by Alpha from flickr.com.<br \/>Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>They symbolize family unity and happiness, so people like to get together with their loved ones to eat a big bowl of them and admire the lanterns and the full moon. If you want to try and make <em>tangyuan<\/em> yourself, follow <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chineseamericanfamily.com\/traditional-glutinous-rice-dumplings-tang-yuan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this recipe<\/a> or watch the video below:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chinese Lantern Festival and Yuan Xiao: East-West Festive Cultures\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CeTriD5ldnk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">Dancing<\/h2>\n<p>Another important tradition for this festival is watching a\u00a0<strong>lion dance<\/strong>\u00a0(\u821e\u72ee \u2013 w\u01d4 sh\u012b). The lion is a symbol of boldness and strength, so these performances\u00a0 are meant to give just that to the people. During the Lantern Festival, you might also see people walking high up on stilts, another kind of folk art that is associated with the holiday. Just check out this amazing clip of lion and dragon dances from this year&#8217;s CCTV <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/cctv-new-years-gala\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spring Festival Gala<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spring Festival Gala 2019: Dragon and lion dance\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cfCD_m04Z00?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">Fireworks<\/h2>\n<p>As the Lantern Festival marks the last day of the Spring Festival, it\u2019s also the last chance to set off fireworks, as they officially become illegal once the holiday is finished. The result is that city\u2019s all across China sound like a war zone all night, with fireworks going off constantly. After two whole weeks of non-stop fireworks, many are happy to see the Spring Festival come to an end. See for yourself what the holiday looked like in my neighborhood a few years ago:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lantern Festival (\u5143\u5bb5\u8282)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wSP6GtcFKXA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">Video<\/h2>\n<p>Many parks all across China celebrate the Lantern Festival with elaborate displays. Check out this video I made a few years ago after visiting the Grand View Park in Kunming to celebrate Lantern Festival:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Chinese Lantern Festival\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xrhHvbHLbMc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s some vocabulary from the video that you can study:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u5143\u5bb5\u8282<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 yu\u00e1n xi\u0101o ji\u00e9<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Lantern Festival<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u6625\u8282<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 ch\u016bn ji\u00e9<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Spring Festival<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u6c49\u671d \u2013\u00a0<\/span>h\u00e0n ch\u00e1o<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u706f\u8c1c<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 d\u0113ng m\u00ed<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">lantern riddles<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u5927\u89c2\u697c\u516c\u56ed \u2013\u00a0<\/span>d\u00e0 gu\u0101n l\u00f3u g\u014dng yu\u00e1n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Grand View Park<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u6606\u660e<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 k\u016bn m\u00edng<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Kunming<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u5c11\u6570\u6c11\u65cf<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 sh\u01ceo sh\u00f9 m\u00edn z\u00fa<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">ethnic minorities<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u6d77\u9e25<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 h\u01cei \u014du<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">seagulls<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u8fde\u5e74\u6709\u9c7c \u2013\u00a0<\/span>li\u00e1n ni\u00e1n y\u01d2u y\u00fa<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Year after year, have fish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u5c0f\u9e1f<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 xi\u01ceo ni\u01ceo<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Angry Birds<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u8fea\u65af\u5c3c<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 d\u00ed s\u012b n\u00ed<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Disney<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u559c\u7f8a\u7f8a<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 x\u01d0 y\u00e1ng y\u00e1ng<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Pleasant Goat<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u5c0f\u82f9\u679c<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 xi\u01ceo p\u00edng gu\u01d2<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cLittle Apple\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u718a\u732b<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 xi\u00f3ng m\u0101o<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">pandas<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u751f\u8096<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 sh\u0113ng xi\u00e0o<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">zodiac<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11341\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11341\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11341\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/07\/DSC01657.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/07\/DSC01657.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/07\/DSC01657-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11341\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lantern Festival in Kunming&#8217;s Grand View Park.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After a very busy and chaotic two weeks, the Spring Festival is once again coming to a close. Kids are getting ready to go back to school and all of the fireworks are being set off as the Chinese New Year goes out with a bang. Wherever you are in the world, we&#8217;d like to wish you a&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\">\u5143\u5bb5\u8282\u5feb\u4e50!<br \/>\nyu\u00e1n xi\u0101o ji\u00e9 ku\u00e0i l\u00e8<br \/>\nHappy Lantern Festival!<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"233\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/08\/1-DSC00767-350x233.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A Guide to the Chinese Lantern Festival\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/08\/1-DSC00767-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/08\/1-DSC00767.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>Today marks the fifteenth and final day of the Spring Festival. Known as the\u00a0Lantern Festival\u00a0(\u5143\u5bb5\u8282 \u2013 yu\u00e1n xi\u0101o ji\u00e9), the Chinese name can be broken down as such \u2013 the character\u00a0\u5143 refers to the first lunar month, and\u00a0\u5bb5 means \u201cnight.\u201d A full moon shines brightly on this night, but that\u2019s not the only light you\u2019ll&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/lantern-festival-guide\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":11428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[510840,510839,13547,35847,2844,303552,303551],"class_list":["post-14650","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-chinese-fireworks","tag-chinese-lantern-festival","tag-chinese-new-year","tag-lantern-festival","tag-spring-festival","tag-tangyuan","tag-yuanxiao"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14650"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14656,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14650\/revisions\/14656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}