How do you wish for the Lantern Festival?

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese celebration that is held on the first full moon of the lunar calendar. It marks the end of the Chinese New Year period and often occurs in February or early March. Millions of people around the globe mark the occasion by releasing sky lanterns.

The festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and marks the first full moon of the new lunar year. People traditionally celebrate the holiday by decorating with colorful lanterns, often with riddles written on them and prizes for those who solve the puzzles.

In China, communities spend the weekend celebrating the Lantern Festival. Beijing hosts a slew of lantern festival events across the city. Families flock to see impressive lantern displays and illuminated inflated animals. In Rizhao, bakers bustle to make the holiday’s special sweet rice balls, shaped and colored like persimmons. Celebrations everywhere feature lion and dragon dances. One city, Qiandongnan, even combined a dragon dance with fireworks—the performers dressed in fire suits and helmets.

Many cities feature a regional twist on the celebrations, with displays of unique folk art and clothing. In Anyang, face-painted creatives perform on stilts in a parade. Another city, Qingdao, throws a carnival featuring traditional dances, drum performances, and folk art. Fireworks burst across skylines nationwide. In Chongqing, tourists watched a remote-controlled performance of a giant illuminated bird fly through the sky.

Some communities in southeast Asia also celebrate the holiday, which they call Cap Go Meh. Penang, Malaysia hosted a street festival with fire juggling, food, art, crafts, a dragon dance, orchestra, drum performances, and a traditional Malay Dondang Sayang, a type of song that has been honored by UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage.

The Lantern Festival is a time of joy and celebration, bringing communities together to share in the beauty and symbolism of the lanterns. It is a time to promote reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. The holiday marks the first full moon of the new lunar year and the end of the Chinese New Year. During the festival, houses are festooned with colorful lanterns, often with riddles written on them; if the riddle is answered correctly, the solver earns a small gift.

Festival celebrations also include lion and dragon dances, parades, and fireworks. Small glutinous rice balls filled with fruits and nuts, called yuanxiao or tangyuan, are eaten during the festival. The round shape of the balls symbolizes wholeness and unity within the family.