Lantern Festival celebrated with annual traditions

The traditional Chinese Lantern Festival falls on March 2 this year. Held on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival has long-standing and treasured traditions. People eat "yuanxiao," or rice dumplings, to celebrate the first full moon after the Lunar New Year. They hang lanterns with hopes for a happy and prosperous future, and stage dragon dances or lion dances. Eating 'yuanxiao' People eat "yuanxiao," or rice dumplings, on this day, so the Lantern Festival is also called the "yuanxiao festival ." The word "yuanxiao" is used in northern China and literally means "first evening," referring to the first full moon after the Lunar New Year. Yuanxiao are sweet dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour with rose petals, sesame, bean paste, jujube paste, walnut meat, dried fruit, sugar and edible oil as fillings. They can be boiled, fried or steamed. Yuanxiao also have another name, "tangyuan," which is used in southern China. "Tangyuan" in Chinese is pronounced similarly to "tuanyuan," meaning "reunion." So, people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family. Hanging lanterns One of the Lantern Festival's important activities is hanging lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would observe  "sarira," or crystalline traces found amongst the cremated remains of Buddha and esteemed Buddhist practitioners, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. So he ordered the lighting of lanterns in the imperial palace  and temples to show respect for Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among the common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plain to the rest of China. Today, the Lantern Festival is still celebrated throughout the country each year. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children can be seen holding self-made or store-bought lanterns while excitedly strolling down the streets. Dragon dances and fireworks During the daytime of the Lantern Festival, performances such as dragon dances, lion dances, land-boat dances, stilt walking, and drumming while dancing are staged. At night, in addition to the magnificent lanterns, fireworks provide a beautiful scene. Most families save a few fireworks from their Spring Festival celebrations and set them off during the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize fireworks viewing parties, all beneath the first full moon of the New Year. Fireworks are a major part of Lunar New Year festivities in China, but the government has restricted the use of fireworks due to concerns about safety and air pollution. Beijing has banned fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road and densely-populated areas on the city outskirts this year. Lantern riddles Lantern riddles are an essential part of the annual festival. The practice initially emerged during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Lantern owners write riddles on pieces of paper and attach them to the lanterns. If visitors have a solution to a riddle, they can remove the paper and go to the lantern owner to check their answer. If they are right, they will receive a small prize. Source: china.org from China Travel & Tourism News http://ift.tt/1iB6EFm