The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year

From the dragon dance to the “rice balls”, traditions and customs of the festival that prepares the arrival of Spring

Like the Epiphany “which takes all the holidays away”… with the Lantern Festival, China definitively says goodbye to the old year and puts an end to the New Year’s celebrations, which began last January 22nd.

The symbol of the festival is the lantern, an auspicious symbol, originally made of paper and now declined in more modern variants which this year bear the zodiacal sign of the Rabbit which marks the new year combined with the word “fu” which means ‘happiness, good luck’.

The Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month which also corresponds with the first full moon night of the Chinese calendar, a symbol of family reunion. And this year, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, families in China were able to reunite again, despite calls for caution, after the suspension of the restrictions imposed by the zero tolerance policy.

The Chinese health authorities of the China Center for Disease Control (CDC) have announced that the number of deaths in clinics and hospitalizations from covid continues to register a “downward” trend, after a wave of infections hit the country in the last weeks. In short, according to the authorities, the dramatic forecasts of an exponential increase in infections due, also, to the reopening of the borders have not come true.

The origins

The Lantern Festival has been considered one of the most important in the Chinese calendar since 104 BC. According to a legend to deceive a deity who threatened to burn a city, the inhabitants went out in the evening with red lanterns making them believe that he was already burning. Other myths link the festival to the spread of Buddhism in China.

The customs

Among the many traditions, in addition to parading through the streets holding lighted lanterns, one of the most widespread shows is the lion dance which has very ancient origins and is considered a good omen for peace and happiness. It is also customary to eat “rice dumplings”, balls of glutinous rice while looking at the moon.