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What is the Lantern Festival? The 15th day of the first lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan and in ancient times people called the night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night when the full moon is visible. So, it’s called Yuan Xiao Festival. According to Chinese tradition, at the beginning of a new year, when there is a full moon, there should be numerous colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. People try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball).
- 2022: 02/15/2022 – Tuesday
- 2021: 02/26/2021
- 2020: 02/08/2020
- 2019: 02/19/2019
- 2018: 03/02/2018
- 2017: 02/11/2017
- 2016: 02/22/2016
- 2015: 03/05/2015
Lantern Festival, also called Yuan Xiao Festival, holiday celebrated in China and other Asian countries that honors deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the first month (Yuan) of the lunar calendar. The Lantern Festival aims to promote reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. The holiday marks the first full moon of the new lunar year and the end of the Chinese New Year (see Lunar New Year). During the festival, houses are festooned with colorful lanterns, often with riddles written on them; if the riddle is answered correctly, the solver earns a small gift. Festival celebrations also include lion and dragon dances, parades and fireworks. Small glutinous rice balls filled with fruits and nuts, called yuanxiao or tangyuan, are eaten during the festival. The round shape of the balls symbolizes wholeness and unity within the family. The Lantern Festival is celebrated on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.
The Lantern Festival may originate as far back as the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE), when Buddhist monks would light lanterns on the 15th day of the lunar year in honour of the Buddha. The rite was later adopted by the general population and spread throughout China and other parts of Asia. A legend concerning the festival’s origin tells the tale of the Jade Emperor (You Di), who became angered at a town for killing his goose. He planned to destroy the town with fire, but he was thwarted by a fairy who advised the people to light lanterns across the town on the appointed day of destruction. The emperor, fooled by all the light, assumed the town was already engulfed in flames. The town was spared, and in gratitude the people continued to commemorate the event annually by carrying colorful lanterns throughout the town.
