Date: 15th day of the 1st month of Lunar Calendar
Final Day of Spring Festival春节
The Lantern Festival may originate as far back as the Han dynasty (more than 200 years ago) in China when Buddhist monks would light lanterns on the 15th day of the lunar year in honor of the Buddha. The rite was later adopted by the general population and spread throughout China and other parts of Asia.
The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival, which is falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, marking the end of the celebrations of the Chinese New Year.
Lantern Festival is called Yuan Xiao Festival元宵节 in China, because the first lunar month一月 is called ‘Yuan’ month元月 and in the ancient times people refers ‘Xiao’ as night. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon, hence the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival.
According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. Till today, the lantern festival is still held each year around the country. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors.
Yuan xiao元宵, (glutinous rice ball) is also a desert eaten on this day. Yuan xiao also has another name, ‘tang yuan’汤圆. It is small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. Tang yuan can be boiled, fried or steamed. It tastes sweet and delicious. What’s more, tang yuan in Chinese has a similar pronunciation with “tuan yuan”, meaning reunion. So people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family.
“Guessing lantern riddles”猜灯谜 is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift.
猜字谜： 谜底是什么？
1. 一人
2. 一人一口，口下一只手
3. 一加一
4. 一字十三点
5. 一百减一
6. 一根木棍，吊个方箱，一个梯子，搭在中间
7. 七人头上长草
8. 人有他则变大
9. 一方名山
10. 羊角没有了，只剩下眼睛
11. 占字长了脚
12. 一口咬住多半截
13. 要一半，扔一半
14. 重点支援大西北
15. 一勾月伴三星
More riddles see below
Kong Ming Deng孔明灯
Sky lantern is essentially a small hot air balloon made out of paper that has a wire construction at the bottom where the fire is. Fire generates hot air, which is lighter than the cold air, and it lifts the lantern. It originated in the Asia where is traditionally used in festivals or for play. Historians agree that sky lantern was first used in the 3th century BC in China for signaling between the troops. Myth says that military strategist Zhuge Liang (also known as Kongming) used it for the first time to write a message on it and let it to the sky, to summon the help when the enemy surrounded him. Because of this, they are also known as Kongming lanterns. Other myth says that Kongming lanterns are called like that because they look like hat with which is Zhuge Liang often represented on illustrations.
1. This lovely maiden eats no meat but eats leaves. She labours each day spinning and weaving for the benefit of others. Who is she?
2. He devotes his life to looking after the house. His mate always follows when the master goes out. A gentleman sees him and goes away. A villain sees him and it spells bad luck. Who is he?
3. Use the 10 letters ACDEHIJLNP to spell out the names of four countries. Each name must be five letters long, and the four countries must be neighbours.
4. It’s been around for millions of years, but it’s no more than a month old. What is it?
5. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
6. It works hard all its life, counting numbers day and night, but never gets past 12. What is it?
7. They look like twin brothers, both sturdy and tall. They work together and go everywhere together. But they only go near solid food and do not care for soup. Who are they?
8. I can follow you for thousands of miles and not miss home. I do not fear cold or fire, and I desire neither food nor drink. But I disappear when the sun sets behind the western mountains. Who am I?
1. A silkworm.
2. A lock. When a gentleman sees it, he knows the master is away and he will leave and come back later. When a villain sees it, he will pry it open and break into the house.
3. JAPAN, CHINA, NEPAL, INDIA.
4. The face of the moon, which “disappears” before it is a month old and has been around for a long time.
5. Your name.
6. A clock.
7. A pair of chopsticks.
8. Your shadow.
