The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month — the first full moon after Spring Festival and its final day. Families eat tangyuan, watch lanterns and solve lantern riddles; streets are as lively as daytime.
Tangyuan are round, like the moon, symbolizing reunion and happiness. In the north they are called yuanxiao, in the south tangyuan — both made of glutinous rice flour with sesame, peanut or red-bean fillings.
Lantern riddles are the festival's game: riddles written on lanterns, solve one and win a prize. Many cities host grand lantern fairs — Xi'an, Nanjing and Zigong are spectacular, colorful and beautiful.
Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, closing the Spring Festival and one of China most romantic holidays. It is the first full-moon night of the year; ancients called night "xiao", hence "Yuanxiao", also known as the Festival of Lanterns.
Two stars of the festival: tangyuan and lanterns. Tangyuan are round balls of glutinous rice flour stuffed with filling and boiled, symbolising family reunion; in the north they are called yuanxiao, rolled from filling in rice flour, firmer in texture; in the south tangyuan are wrapped, soft and chewy.
Viewing lanterns is the tradition: around the 15th, cities hang lanterns everywhere and people stroll out to view and solve lantern riddles - puzzles written on paper slips stuck to lanterns, with small prizes for correct answers. Many cities still hold grand light festivals, like the Xi an city-wall light show and Shanghai Yuyuan lantern fair.
The festival also features dragon and lion dances, stilt walking and land-boat skits. In some regions young men and women meet on this night - in ancient times women rarely went out, so the lantern fair was a rare social chance, earning Yuanxiao the nickname "Chinese Valentine Day".
Romantic association: many ancient love stories happen at lantern fairs, such as Princess Taiping meeting Xue Shao in the drama Palace of Desire.
Eating notes: glutinous rice is hard to digest - do not overdo it; diabetics can choose sugar-free versions. Since the festival comes soon after Spring Festival, festive atmosphere lingers - visitors may as well join the fun.
If it is your first Lantern Festival: view lanterns and solve riddles in the old quarter in the afternoon, enjoy a bowl of hot tangyuan at an old shop in the evening, then watch fireworks or a light show by the river. Take photos of yourself and loved ones under the lanterns - the festival meaning is sharing the year roundest moon with the people who matter.
See Lantern Festival as the close of Spring Festival: from New Year Eve to the 15th, the Chinese New Year arc completes in half a month. Many foreigners think Spring Festival is one day, but the year truly ends after Yuanxiao. So if you come in the first lunar month, lanterns and tangyuan are the perfect finale to experiencing Chinese New Year.
The yuanxiao vs tangyuan difference can even appear in exams: simply put, yuanxiao are "rolled" - filling cut into cubes, tossed in rice flour to coat; tangyuan are "wrapped" - filling folded into a rice dough ball like a dumpling. One word apart, two processes. This little fact helps both ordering food and writing.
