2021
Lantern Festival Lantern Festival, also called Yuan Xiao Festival (元宵节), is a holiday celebrated in China and many other Asian countries that honor deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. This year, the Lantern Festival is celebrated on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The Lantern Festival is a time of reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. The holiday marks the first full moon of the new lunar year and the end of the Chinese New Year. After the festival, Chinese New Year taboos are no longer in effect, and all New Year decorations are taken down. The Lantern Festival is also the first full moon night in the Chinese calendar, marking the return of spring and sym-
bolizing the reunion of family. However, most people cannot celebrate it with their family at in a big reunion because the festival is not considered a public holiday, so traveling long distances is not feasible, plus this year—COVID.
Origins of the Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival may have originated as far back as 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). At that time, Emperor Hanmingdi was an advocate of Buddhism. He heard that some monks lit lanterns in the temples to show respect to Buddha on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Therefore, he ordered that all the tem-
ples, households, and royal palaces should light lanterns on that evening. This Buddhist custom gradually became a grand festival among the people.
Traditions Activities and Events According to Chinese tradition, people get together on the night of the Lantern Festival to celebrate with different activities. As China is a vast country with a long history and diverse cultures, Lantern Festival customs vary regionally including lighting and appreciating lanterns, appreciating the bright full moon, setting off fireworks, flying drones, guessing riddles written on lanterns, eating tangyuan, and more. Here is a list of the events that people often do to celebrate the Lantern Festival and the meaning behind it. •
Lighting and Watching Lanterns Lighting and appreciating lanterns is the main activity of the festival. When the festival comes, lanterns of various shapes and sizes are seen everywhere including
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January 2021 | Spotlight February 2021 | Feature
