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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Lantern Festival

As mentioned in a previous post, the Lantern Festival marks the 15th and final day of the Chinese New Year celebration. This festival is also known as the Yuan-Xiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival. This particular event officially ends the New Year festivities.

In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple in design, and only the emperor and noblemen had ornate lanterns. Now, lanterns are more embellished with various and complex designs. Many lanterns are made in the shapes of animals. The lanterns are said to symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and starting anew.

There are many different beliefs and legends about the origins of the Lantern Festival. A lot of them tend to focus more on ancient mythology.

In modern practice, the Lantern Festival is a major celebration during the Chinese New Year. There are many lanterns released to give the illusion of a virtual ocean of lights. The most eye-catching lantern is the Dragon Pole. This is a lantern in the shape of a golden dragon, spiraling up a 38-meter-high pole, with fireworks spewing from its mouth. Another popular activity at this festival is guessing lantern riddles. These often contain messages of good fortune, family reunion, abundant harvest, prosperity, and love.

picture found on qoolwellstuff.blogspot.com

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