There are so many festivals on the traditional Chinese calendar that it can be a little overwhelming if you haven’t grown up celebrating them. Hot on the heels of the Lunar New Year comes the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the first full moon of the lunar year. But aren’t lanterns for the Mid-Autumn Festival, you say? Great point – read on to find out the origins of the Lantern Festival and what it entails.
What is the Lantern Festival?
The Lantern Festival is called yuen siu jeet (元宵節) in Cantonese, or Yuanxiao jie (元宵节) in Mandarin Chinese. It might sometimes also be referred to as the Shangyuan Festival (上元节). Whatever name it goes by, the Lantern Festival marks the final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations, and has been celebrated as early as the Western Han dynasty.
When is the Lantern Festival celebrated?
The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, during the full moon. The lunisolar calendar shifts slightly each year, so in the western Gregorian calendar this usually comes around in February or early March. This year, the Lantern Festival falls on February 12.
How did the Lantern Festival come about?
Like many other Chinese celebrations, the lore of the Lantern Festival is steeped in mythology and has various origin stories. Some say that it came from observing the ancient Chinese emperors at their spring offering ceremonies, where they would pray for good weather, harvest, and health for their nation.
One of the more fanciful tales tells how an enraged Jade Emperor wanted to send down fire and brimstone to destroy a village that killed his favourite crane when it landed on earth. Knowing that the destruction was planned on the 15th lunisolar day, the Jade Emperor’s daughter warned the villagers, who were then advised that each family should hang up red lanterns around their houses and set off firecrackers in the streets. From afar, the heavenly troops assumed that the village was already ablaze, and so the village was saved – people still carry lanterns around on this day in commemoration of their rescue.
What happens during the Lantern Festival?
As the name implies, people usually display or walk around the streets with lanterns. Though less observed in Hong Kong, this is still widely celebrated in mainland China, where they hold large-scale lantern fairs similar to our Chinese New Year fairs or flower markets.
In the past, people would also write riddles on the lanterns, with the panel holding the answers blocked out, for everyone to guess. These riddle verses are usually inspired by the classics, well-known stories, quotes from famous philosophers, poetry, and the like, and those who answer them correctly can win prizes.
Tangyuan glutinous rice balls are also typically eaten during this festival. Their round, white shape mirrors the full moon in the sky, and is also a symbol of reunion and togetherness, so this is often eaten at the end of family meals.
So, the Lantern Festival is not the same as the Mid-Autumn Festival?
If you’re still in doubt at this point, then you haven’t been paying attention to our guide! The Lantern Festival is celebrated in early spring, while the Mid-Autumn Festival falls around, well, autumn, so no, they are not the same.
However, it’s definitely easy to confuse the two, as the Mid-Autumn celebrations also typically involve lanterns and the consumption of tangyuan. But Mid-Autumn is an autumn equinox harvest festival that famously features mooncakes, while the Lantern Festival marks the end of the Lunar New Year period and celebrates looking forward to a bountiful year ahead.
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