The Lantern Festival, one of the traditional Chinese festivals, falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month of the year, which is also the first full moon night of the year. The Lantern Festival originated from the ancient folk custom of burning lanterns to pray for good fortune. According to documents and folklore legends, the 15th day of the first lunar month has been valued in the Western Han Dynasty. However, it was not until the Han and Wei dynasties that the Lantern Festival became a national folk festival. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has been an official event. In June 2008, the Lantern Festival was selected as a national intangible cultural heritage.

With the development of the times, the Lantern Festival has become more and more magnificent, and the duration of the festival has become longer. In the Tang Dynasty, the lantern festival was celebrated for three days. In the Song Dynasty, it lasted five days. And in the Ming Dynasty, it lasted ten days. In modern times, the duration of the festival has been shortened to five days, which continues to this day. The Lantern Festival mainly includes a series of traditional folk activities such as appreciating lanterns, eating tangyuan, guessing lantern riddles, and setting off fireworks. In many places, traditional folk performances such as dragon lanterns, lion dances, stilt walking, land boats, yangge, and Taiping drums are also held. Traditionally, the Lantern Festival in Beijing consists of three parts: floral fair, lantern fair and eating tangyuan.

The cultural value of the Lantern Festival lies in the fact that it is a carnival for the public. In ancient times, the streets were crowded at the Lantern Festival, where men and women met and easily fell in love. Over the years, there have been many love stories staged at the festival. Although the main activity of the Lantern Festival is mass entertainment, its social and cultural significance goes beyond that. Some religious activities are also held to pray for the blessings of the gods.