When it comes to the Lantern Festival, Beijing must be the most bustling and lively city. Because for the people in Beijing, the most exciting festival is Lantern Festival which even exceeds Spring Festival in cheer. Lantern Festival was called “carnival” by them, thus you can see how lively it is.

There are three customs of Lantern Festival in Beijing:

1.Flower Fair

It was held in the famous streets or big temples in the daytime. There were various entertainments such as lion dances, stilts and yangko dance etc, and the most bustle was lion dances.

2.Lantern Shows

It was held in the evening, usually since the 10th day of the first Chinese lunar month, the beijingers start to prepare for the festival. Each and every family are busy making and lighting festive lanterns.

Especially in the night of the Lantern Festival, people hold lanterns on their hands and enjoy lanterns together, so the Yuanxiao Festival is also called "Lantern Festival".

3.Yuanxiao

Eating yuanxiao is an important custom of the Lantern Festival. Do you Know why do Chinese people eat yuanxiao at Lantern Festival ?

Because the day of Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar Chinese month, the first full moon night in the Chinese calendar. The shape of Yuanxiao is round with a homophone word "Yuan", which symbolizes the reunion, happy, auspicious and harmony of family.