The 15th day of the first lunar month is the traditional Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Festival in Chinese). Yuanxiao comes from the fact that the first lunar month is also called the Yuan Month and ciao means night. The night of the 15th day of the first lunar month marks the appearance of the first full moon.On the Lantern Festival, the Chinese people have the custom of enjoying lanterns and eating glutinous rice dumplings. There is a common saying that “Playing on the Lantern Festival”
The custom of enjoying lanterns on the festival started during the Han Dynasty, and has a history of more than 2 000 years. On that night, every place is decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers and there is a bustling atmosphere. As night falls, people go in crowds to enjoy colorful lanterns: palace lanterns, wall lamps,figure lanterns, flower lanterns,revolving horse lanterns, animal lanterns, and toy lanterns, of all hues and colors, forming a sea of flickering light and color. Some lanterns have riddles on them, which encourage people to strive to be the first to find the answer.
It is also a traditional custom to eat glutinous rice dumplings at this time. As early as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), there was such a kind of food. It is a round ball made of glutinous rice flour with a filling of sugar and kernels. When it is boiled, it is very savory, and tasty. Since it is eaten on the Lantern Festival, people call it yuanxiao.
The Chinese people hope that everything is satisfactory (yuanman in Chinese), and to eat glutinous rice dumplings on the first night with a full moon in a year is to wish that family members will remain united, harmonious, happy and satisfied.
The 15th day of the first lunar month is the traditional Lantern Festival in China. Because the first month is also called January, the fifteenth night of the first month is the first full moon night of the year, “night” is the meaning of “night”, so the fifteenth day of the first month this festival is called Lantern Festival. On the Lantern Festival, Chinese people have the custom of appreciating lanterns and eating yuanxiao. As the saying goes, “Lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month”, so the Lantern Festival is also called the Lantern Festival.
The custom of appreciating lanterns on the Lantern Festival began in the Han Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,000 years. On the Lantern Festival day, there are lanterns and decorations everywhere, and it is very lively. At night, people flock to enjoy the lanterns. Colorful palace lamp, wall lamp, character lamp, flower lamp, horse lamp, animal lamp, toy lamp… A sea of lights. Some lanterns also have riddles written on them, prompting people to scramble to guess.
Eating yuanxiao on the Lantern Festival is a traditional custom for Chinese people. This food was available as early as the Song Dynasty (960-1276). Yuanxiao is a small ball made of glutinous rice flour. It is filled with sugar and various nuts. It is sweet and tasty when cooked. Because this food is eaten on the Lantern Festival, people later called it Yuanxiao. Chinese people want everything to be complete, eating yuanxiao on the first full moon night of the year is to wish family reunion, harmony, happiness, and full circle.