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中文Everything you need to celebrate the magical Chinese Lantern Festival!
After a glorious start of the Chinese New Year, the Chinese Lantern Festival has arrived to mark the end of this season and to welcome in the full moon and we are here to start the celebrations!
Chinese Lantern Festival History
So many Chinese celebrations are rich in history and symbolise important aspects of life. The Lantern Festival is certainly one of these, as the first celebrations of this kind can be traced back to 2,000 years ago! However, there are two different stories which are argued to have created this wonderful event.
The first record comes from the Eastern Han Dynasty when a group of monks were seen lighting lanterns within their temples to show respect to Buddha on the 15th day of the lunar month.
The second story is based on an ancient event that saw villagers lighting the lanterns as a trick against the Jade Emperor who was angry that his favourite crane had been killed and so set out to set the village on fire. The warm lights of the lanterns fooled him into thinking that the fire had already begun and as a result, the villagers survived his impulsive anger.
How to Celebrate the Chinese Lantern Festival
On the 15th night, families and friends come together to celebrate with a range of delicious dishes and activities for all to enjoy. The main event of the night is of course lighting red lanterns which fill the streets, stores and parks to symbolise illuminating a bright future. Each lantern will represent different wishes depending on the individual and the designs vary from nature-inspired to people and buildings.
Another popular activity is guessing lantern riddles, each lantern will hold hand-written riddles and as the locals walk by and admire each light they will try to guess the puzzles that are held inside.
Eating Tangyuan on the 15th night
A must-eat ingredient during this celebration are Tangyuan - little dumplings made from glutinous rice and filled with a variety of yummy fillings such as bean paste, sesame seeds, peanuts or even brown sugar.
The round formation of this little treat is said to resemble wholeness, the taste represents a happy life and the name symbolises reunion and harmony. To cook Tangyuan they are usually boiled, fried or steamed for maximum flavour.
How will you be celebrating? You can count on Sing Kee to make the Chinese Lantern Festival UK, as good as the real thing! Shop tasty party treats here