Eating Tangyuan is an important tradition for the Lantern Festival. Tangyuan, also know as yuanxiao, is a Chinese food made from glutinous rice flour mixed with a small amount of water to form balls and is then cooked and served in boiling water.
Traditionally, the balls come stuffed with sweet black sesame paste, although the fillings can vary. Tangyuan are eaten during Lantern Festival because of a homophone for union.
A painting of the Lantern Festival by Zou Li. [Photo/artron.net]
Decorating and hanging lanterns is the main tradition of the festival, with lanterns big and small hung around households, parks, streets and other public spaces. Red lanterns of various shape and type will attract countless visitors to watch.
Solving riddles on lanterns has been a popular tradition since the Song Dynasty. People write riddles on paper and stick them to the lanterns and if someone guesses correctly, they can pull the riddle off. The notes often contain messages of good fortune and wishes.
The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China. 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. At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere. 元宵节：festival of lanterns，lantern festival dumplings 元宵： the rice glue ball 灯谜：riddles written on lanterns 灯具：lamps and lanterns 灯花 snuff 灯笼裤 bloomers galligaskins knickers pantalettes plus fours 灯笼 lantern scaldfish 灯塔 beacon lighthouse pharos 灯语 lamp signal 灯油 kerosene lamp oil 灯心蜻蜓 damselfly
四叶草人生
