Eat Yuanxiao (Tangyuan)

Every year, on the 15th day of the first lunar, Lantern Festival, people in north China will eat yuanxiao, which is referred to as tangyuan by people in south China, to pray for family reunion and happiness. When it comes to Lantern Festival, many people think that tangyuan is yuanxiao.

In fact, although there are not many differences in the raw materials and appearance between yuanxiao and tangyuan, they are actually two kinds of things. The most essential difference lies in the production process. It is relatively simple to make tangyuan. You only need to make a glutinous rice crust and then "wrap" the filling in it. The yuanxiao are much more tedious to make. First, the dough is mixed and is cut into small pieces. After boiling them once, they are then rolled in a container filled with glutinous rice flour. While rolling, water is sprinkled until the filling is covered with glutinous rice flour and rolled into a ball.

Appreciate Lanterns

The 15th day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar is the Lantern Festival. There are customs such as hanging lanterns, playing lanterns and watching lanterns. Appreciating lanterns is a traditional festival custom of the Lantern Festival, which originated in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. During the Ming Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he advocated Buddhism. It is a Buddhist practice to light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Therefore, the emperor ordered to light lanterns to worship Buddha in the palace and temples on this night, and also ordered the common people to hang lanterns. Later, this Buddhist ritual festival has gradually become a grand festival of the public.

Guess Lantern Riddles

Guessing lantern riddles is a traditional folk recreational activity in China's unique national style, and is a special activity of the Lantern Festival that has been passed down since ancient times. On the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, people would hang colored lanterns and set off fireworks. Later, riddles have been written on strips of paper and pasted on the colorful lanterns for people to guess. Because riddles can enlighten the wisdom and cater to the festive atmosphere, many people loved this activity very much. Therefore, riddle-guessing has gradually become an indispensable part of the Lantern Festival. Lantern riddles add to the festive atmosphere and show the ingenuity of the working people in ancient times and their desire for a better life.

Dragon Lantern Dance

The dragon lantern dance, also known as the dragon dance, is popular in many parts of China. The Chinese admire dragons as a symbol of good luck. Zhang Heng had vividly depicted the dragon dance in his Records of Xijing in the Han Dynasty.