Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, which usually falls in February or early March. It marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations and is an important cultural event in many countries, including China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and parts of Southeast Asia. The Lantern Festival symbolizes the return of spring, the reunion of families, and the illumination of life. Lanterns are lit to guide away bad luck and usher in good fortune. During the festival, communities light and display colorful lanterns, which come in various shapes, sizes, and themes, often depicting animals, historical figures, or zodiac signs. Some lanterns are even designed to float on water. One of the key traditions of the Lantern Festival is the consumption of tangyuan, sweet rice dumplings filled with sesame paste, red bean paste, or other fillings. The round shape of the dumplings represents unity and family harmony. In many places, the Lantern Festival is celebrated with lively performances, including lion dances, dragon dances, and other traditional performances, often accompanied by fireworks. In some regions, lanterns are decorated with riddles written on them. People try to solve these riddles as part of the celebrations, a fun and engaging way to challenge participants.
