Chinese holidays - The Lantern Festival


China's Lantern Festival, or Yuan Xiao Jie (元宵节), falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, two weeks after Chinese New Year, and is the night of the first full moon in the new year. The celebration coincides with the full moon, symbolizing unity, family reunion, and perfection, and is the official end of the New Year celebration holiday and the beginning of a new spring.
In folklore, the Spring Festival is always a great time when families gather together and the Lantern Festival is regarded as the start of the new year after which all the people will go back to work again.
Among all Chinese holidays, the winter holiday is the second longest, after the summer holiday. Its a long time to feel the jubilation of the Chinese New Year. Tourists are recommended to take a tour to China's ancient cities, like Beijing and Xi'an during the Lantern Festival. For more information about this, please look at WindhorseTour's Beijing Xi'an Train Tour.
This Year, The Lantern Festival is on February 24, 2024.

Legend of the Lantern Festival
Long ago, a celestial swan flew down to our mortal world and was inadvertently shot down by a hunter. The deity who owned the swan was outraged and decided to send disaster to Earth in retribution - he decided to send a troop of celestial soldiers on the 15th day of the first lunar month to incinerate all humans and animals on Earth. However, the soldiers felt the punishment was too brutal, so they warned the people of Earth to be prepared.
In their ingenuity, people came up with a great ruse to fool the god - that night, every household hung red lanterns outside their doors and set off firecrackers and fireworks, giving a false impression that they were already burning. As a result, humanity was saved from extermination, and every year thereafter, on the 15th night of 1st lunar month, people display beautiful red lanterns and set off thousands of fireworks in commemoration.
Traditional activities for Lantern Festival
Lantern fairs
Many cities throughout China will hold a lantern fair for the festival, displaying thousands of uniquely designed lanterns lit up for visitors to enjoy. Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province, holds a lantern fair each year in its cultural park, transforming the park into an ocean of lanterns!
Lantern riddles
Lantern Riddles are another not-to-miss aspect of the festival. The tradition of writing lantern riddles emerged in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and has become popular across China. People will write out riddles and paste them on their lanterns hanging on display at the lantern fairs. While appreciating the design and craftwork of the lantern, visitors will try to guess the answer to the riddle on each lantern. If the visitor has a guess, they can approach the creator of the riddle, and correct answers are often rewarded with a small gift.
The Lion dance
or dragon lantern dance is a performance that remains one of the most outstanding traditional folk arts in China. Chinese people regard lions or dragons as symbols of bravery, strength, and dignity. They also believe that dragons can protect themselves and their livestock from evil spirits, so dragon dances are performed during the Lantern Festival and other important events as a traditional way to celebrate, entertain, and show wishes for good luck and prosperity.
Fireworks
Fireworks are an essential part of the festival and often even local governments will host a fireworks display. On the evening of the Lantern Festival, the night is alive with the sounds and flashes of fireworks for hours.
The Food of Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival is also called the Yuanxiao Festival. During Chinese festivals, there are different festival foods to taste. Yuan Xiao is a kind of delicious food that people shall have during the Lantern Festival. They are dumpling balls made of glutinous rice and are usually filled with sesames, peanuts, vegetables, sugar, bean pastes, or meat.
Take a tour to China and taste this special food during the Lantern Festival and enjoy your stay in China. For more information about this, please check at WindhorseTour's China Impression Tour to Hong Kong. Yuanxiao is also called "汤圆" (Pinyin: tāng yuán), meaning reunion and family gathering. Chinese eat Yuanxiao in the hope of everlasting union, and harmony and pray for the happiness of your families.
This year for the Lantern Festival, enjoy a dragon dance performance, try to find the lucky coin in a batch of yuanxiao, and then sit back to watch the evening fireworks!

When it comes to the evening, the Lantern Festival begins to present its greatest charm- watching the Lanterns' Show. You can have a Lantern Display while you are wandering on the ancient Beijing Hutong. For other related Beijing tours, please refer to WindhorseTour's Beijing Walking Tour. Walking on the ancient Beijing town, you are attracted to hanging lanterns in various shapes and sizes, making the night a spectacular scene. Nowadays during the night of the Lantern Festival, there are also firework displays.
Another interesting thing is the game called "Guessing Lantern Riddles", which is an interesting part of the festival. There are many riddles written on the lanterns by their owners and you can try to guess answers for any of these riddles. If you get the right answer, you will get a small gift as a bonus. It is interesting with full of wisdom in this game and it gains popularity among many Chinese people. Take a tour of Beijing and have a feast for your eyes on these shining and beautifully designed lanterns!

During the Chinese holidays, there are always some Chinese festivals included. As one of the most traditional Chinese festivals, many colorful shows or activities are held at the Lantern Festival. Take Beijing as an example - there are many performances such as the Dragon Dancing Show, Lions Dancing Show, and Stilts Walking Show. For more information about Beijing tours, please visit WindhorseTour's Beijing in Depth Tour for 5 Days. These activities are the most outstanding features of the Lantern Festival. Beijing is the capital city of China.
If you take a tour of Beijing, you will have the chance to visit imperial places that you shall never forget. Top attractions like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Olympic sites - the "Bird's Nest" Stadium all are worth visiting. Beijing, a city combined with an ancient and modern atmosphere welcomes you!
