LANTERN FESTIVAL
Illustration: Time Out Hong Kong
Illustration: Time Out Hong Kong

Lantern riddles for Mid-Autumn Festival

Test your wits during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival

Catharina Cheung
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The Mid-Autumn Festival is almost upon us and aside from gazing at the moon, messing around with lanterns and candles, and scoffing down a frankly unnecessary amount of mooncakes, one of the traditional things to do during this festival is to guess at lantern riddles. Historically, Chinese people would write these riddles on lanterns – hence their name – and players must guess the answer from a word, a poem, or a phrase, but we’ve simplified things a little to keep things fun. So grab your lanterns and loved ones, and go see how brainy you are this year!

RECOMMENDED: Check out the best of this year’s mooncakes, or find out more about the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance that happens during this festival

Lantern riddles for Mid-Autumn

1. Which is faster: hot or cold?

2. Name an insect that has another insect in its name.

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3. The person who makes it doesn’t need it. The person who buys it doesn’t use it. The person who uses it doesn’t see it. What is it?

4. The more you take of it, the more you leave behind. What is it?

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5. A lovely lady who eats no meat, only leaves. She labours each day weaving for other people. Who is she?

6. What is the question you can never answer ‘yes’ to?

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7. Using the 10 letters A, C, D, E, H, I, J, L, N, and P, spell out the names of four countries. Each name must be five letters long, and four of the countries must be neighbours.

8. Jamie’s dad has three daughters. The oldest is Moon, the second is Sun. What is the name of the third daughter?

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9. Which word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

10. A thousand threads, a million strands, reaching the water, then vanishing at once. What is this?

Answers to the lantern riddles

Don’t cheat! Have a good go at the riddles before you look below!

  1. Hot is faster, because you can catch a cold.
  2. Beetle
  3. A coffin
  4. Footsteps
  5. A silkworm
  6. ‘Are you asleep?’
  7. Japan, China, Nepal, and India
  8. Jamie
  9. Short
  10.  Rain

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