Lantern Festival
February 26, 2021
The Chinese New Year comes to an end with the celebration of the Lantern Festival. This celebration began over 2000 years ago and has come to mean different things.
It is a time to celebrate family reunions and society. Some also call this the "true" Chinese Valentine's Day, as women were allowed to go out on their own to the festival and men would give a flower to women.
The Lantern Festival has many activities that include, moon-gazing, lighting lanterns, riddles, lion dances, and eating rice balls.
The Spring Festival is reserved for family time. There is dinner with family on New Year's Eve, then visits to in-laws on the 2nd day and neighbors after that. Stores remain closed until the 5th day when society goes back to normal.
Then on the 15th day, everyone goes out to the streets to celebrate the Lantern Festival. It is a time for socializing and freedom.
In Ancient China, women were not allowed out of the house and so on this night they could stroll freely and participate in all activities. The wild and romantic stories are why some call it Valentine's Day.
Lanterns are the most memorable part of the festival. In the early days, people would gather in their yards and give offerings to the gods and light lanterns near the setup.
Throughout history, a variety of lantern designs have been created. They can be small globes that fit in your hand or as big as parade floats.
A famous variation is the Kongming lantern (孔明灯 / kǒng míng dēng). They represent hope, success and happiness. In the past, they signified people were safe after an attack, now they are used for wishes. These lanterns are also called sky lanterns (天灯 / tiān dēng) which sounds similar to "adding children". Lanterns would be gifted to newlyweds or couples without children to pass on the blessings. Pregnant women would receive a pair of small lanterns to wish her health and safety.