Chinese Lantern Festival

CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVALBY: STEPHEN KURNIA

LANTERN FESTIVAL

INTRODUCTION HISTORY LANTERN FESTIVAL

Lantern festival

Popular Chinese name:  元宵节 Yuánxiāojié /ywen-sshyaoww jyeah/ 'first night festival'

Alternative Chinese name:  上元节 Shàngyuánjié /shung-ywen-jyeah/ 'first first festival'

Date: Lunar calendar month 1 day 15 (March 5, 2015) Importance: ends China's most important festival,

Spring Festival

Lantern festival

Celebrations: enjoying lanterns, lantern riddles, eating tangyuan a.k.a. yuanxiao(ball dumplings in soup), lion dances, dragon dances, etc.

History: about 2,000 years Greeting: Happy Lantern Festival! 元宵节快乐！

Yuánxiāojié kuàilè! /ywen-sshyaoww-jyeah kwhy-luh/

INTRODUCTIONThe Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival

celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the lunar calendarmarking the last day of the lunar New Year celebration. It is usually in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. As early as theWestern Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns

History It is said that in ancient times, there was a beautiful bird flew down

from the heaven to earth. It was killed by a villager by accident. As the bird was favored by the Jade Emperor in Heaven, after knowing this, he got angry and ordered to burn the village and all the people on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Can't bear to see this, the daughter of the Jade Emperor told this message to the villagers. All the villages were anxious and had no idea after knowing this. Luckily, an old man had suggested that every family hang red lanterns, set off fireworks and firecrackers on the 14th, 15th and 16th day. In this way, the Jade Emperor may thought the villages had been on fire and the villagers were burned to death.

On the evening of 15th day, the Jade Emperor saw the village was ablaze and thought the people had been died. So, he didn't order to burn the village. From that time on, people hang lanterns, set fireworks and firecrackers on the 15th day of the first lunar month every year to celebrate the victory.

Lantern Festival Activity *Lighting and Watching Lanterns

Lantern festival activity *Guessing Lantern Riddles

Lantern Festival Activity Lion Dances

Appreciating the bright full moon

Enjoying the family reunion

Performing dragon lantern dance

Watching fireworks

LANTERN FESTIVAL FOOD

Tangyuan   汤圆 ; traditional Chinese: 湯圓 ; pinyin: tāngyuán

LONTONG CAP GO MEH