The Lantern Festival on the 15th day of Lunar January, which can also be called the "Shangyuan Festival"or "Spring Latern Festival"，is a Chinese folk traditional festival. "Lunar January" refers to the first month of the lunar year and the ancient people called it "Xiao", meanwhile, the 15th day of that month is the first full moon of the year, thus, people call it theLantern Festival, which can also be called "LittleLunar January", "lunar festive night" or the Lantern Festival. It is the first important festival after the Spring Festival.Chinais a country boasting vast lands and long history, so the customs to celebrate the festival varies with the regions, among which eating tangyuan (rice glue ball), enjoying lanterns, dragon dance and lion dance are the main forms of folk customs.

It is said that long long ago, there were many fierce birds and beasts of prey doing damages to people and livestocks all around, so the villages organized together to hunt them, at that time, a mythical bird which fell down the world and lost the way was shoot by the uninformed hunter.The Emperor of Heavenwas very angry to hear of that and delivered an imperial order to the heaven troops to set fire to the world on January 15th and burn out all people and livestocks and assets. The kind-hearted daughter of the Emperor of Heaven secretly risked her live to ride auspicious cloud to inform the people. When hearing of this news, people were too scared to know how to do, then an elderly man came up an idea,"Each house should be decorated with colourful lights and set off the firecrackers and fireworkson Lunar January 14, 15 and 16, by doing these things,the Emperor of Heavenwould be misunderstood that all the people were burnt to death."Everyone nodded to say yes and then separately did the preparations. At the night of January 15th, the Emperor of Heaven found that the world was filled with the red lights and a tremendous noise that last for three nights, so he was happy to see the flaming fire which he considered to come from the burning fire. Thus, the people protected their lives and properties. In honor of this success, the all families hang the lanterns and play fireworks to memorialize this occasion onLunar January15.

Clouds on August 15 cover moon, snow will fall in the lanterns on January 15th

An agricultural proverb of “Cloud on August 15 covers moon, then snowon January 15thwill fall on the lanterns” spreading aroundChinareflects the interaction relations among the festival weathers. It means that if the sky is covered by clouds (cloudy or rainy day) on the day of Mid-autumn Festival and can not see the Mid-Autumn Festival full moon, the day on the 15th of the nextLunar Januarywould be cloudy or snowy.