Today is the Lantern Festival which falls on the first day with a full moon in the first lunar month.
According to Chinese culture, people celebrate the Chinese New Year from Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival. It this way, the Lantern Festival marks the last day of Spring Festival Celebration.
On Lantern Festival, all places are decorated with Chinese lanterns to wish a lucky, prosperous and happy coming new year. For traditional lanterns, they are made of paper or silk with a candle in the middle. But, in modern times, the candle is replaced by electric light. The lanterns are usually painted with landscape, flowers, birds or ancient Chinese poetry, just to express people’s love for life and best wishes to the future.
Chinese people always put the food at a top place. Traditional food plays a big part in every Chinese traditional festival. For Lantern Festival, you cannot miss Yuanxiao, a kind of sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice in round shape. Its sweet taste and round shape represent the happiness of life and union of the family.
On this special occasion of Lantern Festival, HIFPSers would like to wish you a happy and sweet year.