Originally a religious ritual born nearly 2,000 years ago, The Lantern Festival – or Yuanxiao Jie – began when Buddhist leaders lit lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month, on the last day of the Chinese New Year, to show respect to their spiritual founder. Shortly after this religious observance developed, the ceremony spread to the Imperial Palace by edict of Emperor Mingdi and Chinese society followed by turning it into a national celebration.

In its beginning, The Lantern Festival included the display of lanterns of all shapes and sizes. To add to its festivity, the Festival now hosts fireworks and incorporates games for young and old alike. For example, hand-made lanterns often feature riddles posted on the lamps for visitors to guess the answers. For a correct answer, the lantern-maker presents a small gift to the individual.

Another important component of the Lantern Festival is the eating of Yuanxiao, which is the traditional treat for the celebration.  Yuanxiao is a glutinous rice ball – a kind of dumpling – made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing, so important it’s the namesake for the whole festival. This celebration, with its romantic lantern lighting, also acts as a holiday for young lovers, similar to America’s Valentine’s Day.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 8:49 am and is filed under China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.