Chinese New Year Celebrations Conclude with the Annual Lantern Festival

In just two days, the two week long period of Chinese New Year celebrations will come to a close. So of course, it is only right to end China’s most important holiday with one of their most important festivals. The Chinese Lantern Festival can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, over 2,000 years ago. After learning that monks often lit lanterns in temples to show respect to Buddha, Emperor Hanmingdi felt that custom should be done in all temples, households, and royal palaces. Eventually, the practice turned into a large festival celebrated annually among all people. 

Popularity for the festival grew during the Tang and Song dynasties, about 1,000 years after the practice of lighting lanterns first began. Historical records document stories about how the people celebrated the festival by dancing and singing from dusk till dawn. Today, customs vary from region to region but there are a few practices that can be seen no matter where you are celebrating. These include watching lanterns, guessing lantern riddles, and lion and dragon dances. 

The main event of the celebration is, of course, to light and release lanterns. As you can imagine, it is a spectacular sight to see thousands of beautiful and creative lanterns floating into the night sky. In different places lanterns carry with them different meaning, for example, in Taiwan lanterns stand for brightness and birth. Therefore, lighting the lantern signifies lighting hope for the future. It is customary for women who wish to become pregnant to walk under hanging lanterns to pray for a child.

One of the most popular activities during the festival is the lantern riddle game. The game is played by putting a riddle on the outside of the lantern with the correct answer on a folded piece of paper inside. If the person guesses the correct answer they receive a small gift from the person who gave the lantern to them. 

Another custom seen throughout most regions of China during this holiday is to consume Yuanxiao, sweet stuffed dumplings made of glutinous rice flour and served in soup. This practice is believed to have originated during the Song Dynasty. Due to their round shape, the dumplings are a symbol of togetherness, so when eating with the family it represents staying together. 

Lion dances are popular during the Lantern Festival as well as many other festivals and holidays. The dances are believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck to those who watch or participate. In ancient Chinese culture, lions have long been a symbol for strength and bravery, so the dances are also used during the Lantern festival to pray for safety and protection during the new year. 

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10 Festivals In Asia That Will Change Your Life (Part One of Two)

Various countries across Asia are known for their delicious food, breath taking architecture, and innovative tecnhnology- but many people aren't aware of another special feature these countries have to offer. 

They are also home to hundreds of festivals and parades each year, ranging from spiritual and ritualistic festivals to food and music festivals. People travel from all over the world to take part in these fun and exciting events and to witness Asian culture at its most pure.

Every festival has something unique to bring to the table, but there are 10 of them that have something you absolutely cannot miss. So whether you are a college student in your early twenties or in your mid fifties, the following festivals should be on everyone's bucket list. 

1. Naadam Festival

This first festival is for the sports lovers! A spectacle sometimes referred to as "Mongolia's Olympics", covers all the bases of the nation's sports, including horseback riding, archery, and wrestling. This festival, which takes place over the summer, is purely for entertainment and purposed to represent the joy of the harvest. 

2. Full Moon Party

If this event keeps popping up- it must be something I need to add to my to-do list! Like I wrote about in one of my previous articles, the full moon party is a monthly event in Thailand where thousands of people from all different corners of the world gather to party, drink, eat, and dance to music under the full moon. And according to STA Travel, it is an experience that everyone at some point needs to have. 

3. Lantern Festival

Ah, another one of our favorites! Lanterns are a decoration seen used in many Asian celebrations, due to their beauty and cultural significance. But imagine the beauty of dozens of lanterns in the sky and replace it with thousands of lanterns and you have a slight idea of how incredible China's yearly Lantern Festival is. On the night of February 13, head to Taiwan, or even Shanghai and Hangzhou, to witness one of the spectacular finale to the Chinese New Year celebration. 

4. Mud Festival 

If you aren't afraid to get pretty dirty, the mud festival is the perfect way to let loose and have some child-like fun during your time in Asia! If you're thinking to yourself mud wrestling isn't really your thing so you probably wouldn't like it- stop right there! In addition to mud wrestling, there are also countless activities for those looking to have a relaxing time, including a giant mud tub and a mud massage zone. The Boryeong mud of South Korea is known for it's healing properties and benefits, contributing to why it is the festival with

the highest international attendance. For those looking to get the full experience, join in events such as  mud sliding, mud swimming, and a mud marine course for the adventurous. Wow, that's a lot of mud! 

5. Ice Festival

Despite it's freezing temperatures, winter is considered one of the best times to visit Harbin- and trust me, being a little chilly would be well worth it to be a part of the annual Ice Festival. This winter event is thought of as one of the most exciting and romantic destinations on earth, where you can see and do things that unique to that area

of China. Stay in a super cool ice hotel, tour the safari-style Siberian tiger park, go dog sledding, drink in the ice bars of Snow World, or stick with the traditional- skating, skiing, or riding a snow mobile. And don't forget the best events of the season- the Ice Lantern show and Snow Sculpture Art Expo, where you get to witness the creating and displaying of some of the world's most jaw dropping ice and snow sculptures. The annual festival begins after Christmas and lasts until the beginning of February, so be sure to start planning your trip! 

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Keep an eye out for the next 5 Asian Festivals that will change your life in the part two segment!

The Chinese Welcome the New Season with the Mid-Autumn Festival

Beginning on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, China welcomes one of its most beloved and anticipated festivals, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Deeply imbedded with rich Chinese tradition and culture, it has often been dubbed as one of the most important of the traditional Chinese events. Not only that, but it is also one of the most fun and exciting! 

The holiday is also subject to several other titles, including the Moon Festival, Mooncake festival, and the Lantern Festival. 

Three fundamental concepts revolve around this special day; gathering, giving thanks, and praying. These three ideas have been a critical component of the Mid-Autumn festival and carried throughout the centuries since it's origin during the Shang Dynasty. 

One of the most important parts of the festival, as you may have guessed by the different names it's given, is moon worship. In ancient China it was believed that there was a connection between the moon and water that provided you with rejuvenation. Due to these beliefs, it became very popular for women to give offerings and worship the moon on the night after it was full. 

Modern day celebrations still involve offers of rice and wheat being made to the moon, but it also has introduced many new activities over the years. Some of these include parades of lanterns of various sizes, colors, and shapes as well the displaying of handcrafted lanterns, an art form that is heavily emphasized on this day despite its unfortunate decline in popularity in recent years. 

One of the most popular and important activities during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the creation and passing around of moon cakes. Originally, moon cakes were "sacrificed" to the moon during this time as a thank you for that year's fall harvest, since the ancient Chinese people believed the full moon was heavily connected to the changing seasons and

agriculture.  Today, they are still offered to the full moon but also just eaten in celebration with friends and family. The inspiration for the shape of the cakes comes, of course, from the shape of the moon but also from the idea that a circle symbolizes the coming together of family. In addition to enjoying the cakes amongst each other, people also give them as gifts to friends to wish them a long and fulfilled life. 

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The Chinese End the Lunar New Year Celebration With the Lantern Festival

Last night, excitement buzzed throughout the United States as 40.3 million people tuned in to watch Seth MacFarlane host the Oscars, but in China people were celebrating for a completely different reason.

 Last night marked the fifteenth night of the lunar New Year, where the Chinese celebrate the closing of the national holiday with a festival known as the Lantern Festival. Not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival which is also referred to as the Lantern Festival, the official name for this much looked forward to holiday is the Shangyuan Festival. This festival, rich with culture and history, is observed by the Chinese as well as the Vietnamese. The Lantern Festival's purpose is to not only end the holiday in a big way, but also to signify the beginning of the new year, in this case the Year of the Water Snake. 

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The purpose of this day is to relax, enjoy oneself, and have fun with friends and family while ringing in the new year. On the night of the festival, beautifully and traditionally crafted lanterns, created to symbolize the 12 creatures of the Chinese Zodiac, are released into the sky- making for a breath taking sight. Firecrackers and fireworks are lit and people dance in the street beneath the hundreds of floating lanterns. 

The traditional food of this holiday is a glutinous rice ball, known as Yuanxiao. It is a sweet dumpling made with a sticky rice flour and filled with sweet stuffing. The legend behind the food is that is named after a maid of Emperor Wu Di, who reined during the Han Dynasty. It is meant to symbolize family unity, happiness, and completeness. 

While the Oscars boasts celebrating its 85th anniversary, the Lantern Festival has been a tradition throughout China since the Han Dynasty, in 206 BC! 

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Meet Fujimini Island's Bunnies

On Fujimini Island bunnies hop in the grassy fields, and are friends with all the other animals. Bunnies are wonderful creatures. They are cute, soft and love having friends. In Chinese culture, the bunny is important to the Moon Festival. The bunny is a companion of Chang-e or Chang-o – the moon goddess. According to legend, the bunny is industrious and constantly pounds the elixir of life or, in Japanese and Korean versions, is pounding the ingredients for rice cakes. It seems wonderful and poetic that a bunny should be a companion to the woman in the moon. In Chinese culture the bunny is called the Jade Rabbit or, sometimes, the gold rabbit.

Hungry for a Mooncake?

Mooncakes are served during the Moon Festival. Mooncakes are dense, filled cakes with intricate designs or patterns on them. Many people also eat other round shaped foods such as pomeloes and eggs (sometimes tea stained).

The Moon Festival is sometimes called the Lantern Festival. During the festival, lanterns are used as decorations and represent the glowing of the moon. Often, sky lanterns are used as decorations. Sky lanterns are suspended in the sky and look as if they are floating.

During the Moon Festival many people celebrate by planting trees. Incense is also burned for Chang-O who floated up to the moon after taking her husband’s immortal pills. Chang-O’s companion is a rabbit, often depicted in jade.

How to make a paper Lantern

You will need:

Colored Paper
Scissors
Stapler
Marker or crayons

Step 1: Fold a rectangular piece of paper in half
Step 2: Make a series of cuts (12 to 14)
Step 3: Decorate the paper with markers or crayons
Step 4: Unfold and staple the edges together.
Step 5: Cut a long, thin strip of paper for the handle. Staple it to the lantern.
Step 6: Make a lot of lanterns and string them on yar