Chinese Lantern Festival

     This week, my hometown's people talk a lot the Lantern Festival. And lots of historical cities hold lots of parties to celebrated the festival. The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, and it falls on Thursday this year. The festival, observed by the lighting of lanterns, also marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations, which began on Feb. 19.

     The festival also is known as the Yuan Xiao or Shang Yuan festival. The word “yuan” (元) refers to the first month of the lunar calendar, and “xiao” (宵) is an former way to refer to night in Mandarin. Thus, Yuan Xiao and Shang Yuan mean “night of the first month” or “first month” festival, respectively. 

     There is a very important thing about the Lantern Festival: The Sky Lantern! The sky lantern probably was invented before Late Han Dynasty. A prime minister Kung-Ming used sky lantern for military liaison purpose during Three Kingdom epoch (221A.D.). Some people still call the sky lantern as Kung-Ming lantern.During the night of lantern festival, Some people in Taiwan will fly the sky lantern by writing their wishes on the paper lantern and pray their wishes come true. Long time ago, people thought the lantern will fly up to the heaven. The god of heaven will receive their messages and will give them blessing.There is a story for this custom. Once a village was attacked by the private. When the private ship came, people ran to and hide in the mountain. When private left, some one in the town flew the sky lantern to tell people in the mountain safe to come home. It happened on the 15th lunar day in that year. Now people do the same way to depict their peace, safety and without accident.

     All the Chinese festival come with a great food. Be a foodie, I made Yuan-Xiao (元宵) by myself in the Thursday midnight. Because the Lantern Festival is also called Yuan-Xiao Festival. This is because Chinese eat Yuan-Xiao on this day. This custom originated from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song Dynasty. Yuan-Xiao made of sweet rice flour into sticky glutinous balls. They can be filled in with sesame, red-bean or peanut butter paste. Usually, they are severed with sugar water. But some people still  make salty Tang-Yuan.