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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Chinese New Year: The Significance (Part One of Five)

Only a few weeks left until one of the most important traditional Chinese holidays: the Chinese New Year. This nationally celebrated event is the annual celebration that marks the beginning of the new year, according to the Chinese Lunar calendar. Always falling during January or February, the Chinese New Year also marks the end of the winter season, originally purposed to notify farmers when to begin their spring harvests. For this reason, it is also sometimes referred to as the Spring Festival. 

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Each year the day is different, but this 2013 the holiday will begin on February 10th. Up to two days at the beginning of the celebration are considered a public holiday, giving people time off work to kick off the new year with friends and family. 

In addition to being one of the most important holidays, it is also the longest- lasting for fifteen days. The much looked forward to festivities end on the 15th night with a celebration called Chap Goh Mei. Chap Goh Mei literally translates to "the fifteenth night". 

One of the most unique and exciting parts of the new year are the creatures of the Chinese Zodiac. There are twelve creatures of the Chinese Zodiac and each year one of them is selected to represent the year we are entering into. In 2012, it was the Year of the Dragon, specifically the Water Dragon. This year will welcome the Year of the Water Snake. 

Fujimini Island learns the Korean history of Kite Flying

In Korea, flying kites is one of the most popular folk games experienced during two of their major holidays - Chu'sok and Lunar New Year. The traditional Korean kite is made from bamboo and rice paper. In Korean history, kite flying is traced back to 637 AD during the reign of  Queen Chindok of Shilla. General Kim used the kite flying in the night skies to calm a restless and unhappy population.

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