Lantern Festival History, Traditions, Pictures

Lantern Festival is a festival which is celebrated in Asian places like mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong, and oversea Chinese communities. This festival is celebrated on 15th of the first month in Lunar Chinese Calendar. Lantern Festival also marks the end of the Spring Festival season.

Traditionally, on the day of this festival children and young boys and girls go to temples and bright lights and candles; young boys and girls will find their love; people carry paper lanterns and slove riddles on the lanterns.

Now, most of the traditions have disappeared. People will usually eat Tan-yuan (sweet soup balls) on this day, which represents a round, perfect life. All kinds of lanterns made of paper will be free to fly into sky or flow along the rivers, hoping them take the best wish to the gods.