The Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar, falls on February 5 this year, which is considered the perfect ending to the weeks-long Chinese New Year preparations and celebrations. It celebrates the first full moon of the year and marks the departure of winter and the beginning of the spring season.
To celebrate the festival, the Guangzhou Cultural Park in South China’s Guangdong province is holding a lantern display scheduled from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM between February 1 and 5, which presents 20 distinct themes that highlight traditional Lingnan culture. Some lanterns can move and spray smoke, bringing you a more vivid experience.
During the Lantern Festival, people usually head out to see colorful lantern displays, solve riddles written on the lanterns, and then go back home to have dinner and enjoy yuanxiao (boiled glutinous rice flour balls), which is a special dessert for the festival. Traditionally, people light lanterns to symbolize driving out darkness and bringing hope to the coming year.
In addition to Guangzhou Cultural Park, celebrations will also be held during the Lantern Festival in Guangzhou at Yuexiu Park, Grandview Plaza and Yongqing Fang. Various cultural activities can also be seen in other cities across Guangdong province, such as Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Shaoguan, Zhanjiang, Shantou, and Chaozhou.
Video | Guo Guo
Text | Lydia Liu
Editor | Wing, Nan, Monica, James
