Chinese Lantern Festival
The Lantern - ( Chinese 燈節 / 灯节 , Pinyin Dēngjié ) or Yuanxiao Festival ( Chinese 元宵節 / 元宵节 , Pinyin Yuánxiāojié ) is a traditional Chinese holiday that concludes the New Year celebrations, which last several days . Its origins go back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD).
On the Lantern Festival (15th day of the 1st lunar month according to the traditional Chinese calendar , i.e. fourteen days after the Chinese New Year ), lantern exhibitions are held in China , Taiwan and Hong Kong . The partly huge exhibits have a variety of colors and shapes and are made anew every year. Traditionally, great care has been taken in their manufacture. Representations of zodiac signs, of symbolic animals, plants and mythical creatures, of scenes from classic novels, legends and stories, but also battle scenes are popular. As materials are or were u. a. lacquered wood, mother-of-pearl, parchment, paper and horn in use.
An important part of the lantern exhibition is also the guesswork: the representations on the lanterns contain riddles or the owners of the lanterns stick them on their lanterns and visitors can tear them off if they know their solution. If you guess the puzzles correctly, you will receive a small present. The children also play on the street that night with lanterns they have made or bought.
It is also custom to eat Tangyuan ( 湯圓 / 汤圆 , tāngyuán , dumplings made from sticky rice flour with a sweet filling) at the Lantern Festival . Since Tangyuan and Tuanyuan ( 團圓 / 团圆 , tuányuán - "family reunion") sound similar in Chinese , they are eaten symbolically for harmony in the family . The Lantern Festival is also considered the day of the bridal show and marriage foundation.
