Yuanxiao - The Lantern Festival

Yuanxiao - The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Lunar New Year Festival which is also known as the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Festival occurs on every 15th day of the 1st Lunar month. The Lantern Festival is widely celebrated in the Chinese culture. It celebrates the first full moon in the Lunar New Year. The Lantern Festival is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day.

What does the name of the festival mean:
"Yuan" in ancient China is the first month of the Lunar New Year. "Xiao" means night.

How and where did the festival originate:
There are many legends as to how the festival came about. One of the legends has it that the festival was meant to be a day of worship for the god Taiyi who ruled the heavens and can cause calamities on Earth. Since then , the first emperor of China has ordered the day to be splendidly celebrated by his people so Taiyi will bring them luck and prosperity in the year.

How is the festival celebrated:
Since Tang dynasty, the festival has been celebrating the first full moon in the Lunar New Year by decking out streets and plazas with colorful lanterns. Riddles and puzzles are put onto the Lanterns for passersby to solve. Under the moonlight and the decoration of the colorful lanterns, it is often thought to be a romantic scene, where strangers can meet and solve riddles on the lanterns together and evolve into a couple. Many poems in the Tang dynasty were inspired by the romance and beauty of the festival.

The festive food for the festival is called Yuanxiao or Tangyuan which gets its name from the festival and has the meaning of togetherness. These festive foods are little dumpling balls made with glutinous rice flour with salty or sweet fillings within. The Chinese believe it is good luck to have the festive food with family, and loved ones bringing many more years of "togetherness".