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Lantern Festival lasts a week in Hangzhou
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The Lantern Festival’s main event tomorrow is special because this year it falls on the same day as the Western Valentine’s Day. But the Lantern Festival, also called Yuanxiao Festival, is special for Hangzhou locals, who extend the celebration to seven days to mark a historic event that avoided a war a millennia ago.
The festival’s main day is celebrated on the 15th night of the first lunar month, the first full moon of the traditional year, marking the end of Chinese lunar New Year celebrations.
Many famous poets described how young lovers would meet after nightfall beneath the romantic glow of lanterns.
The first full moon’s appearance was considered by Chinese people as an auspicious astronomical phenomenon. Dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), people began to celebrate the moon’s appearance with a series of folk customs. The Yuanxiao Festival includes making paper lanterns and eating tangyuan (汤圆), which are glutinous rice balls traditionally stuffed with sesame paste.
The lanterns are made into animal shapes with complex patterns and ornaments. They symbolize good wishes for the Chinese New Year and a farewell to the previous year.
Chinese people consider tangyuan to be symbolic of the holiday’s customary family reunion and believe eating them can bring good fortune to families.
Today, the varieties of tangyuan have expanded and the stuffing may contain red bean paste, meat, peanut paste and pulp of the longan fruit. People also sometimes toast or fry tangyuan, which makes them crisper.
Hangzhou locals celebrate the Lantern Festival longer than others, usually from the 12th to the 18th day. The longer holiday is attributed to an ancient king of the Wuyue Kingdom (today’s Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian provinces).
During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the king voluntarily submitted to the dynasty. This allowed the imperial court to avoid a war, so the court awarded Wuyue people a seven-day Yuanxiao Festival holiday.
On the 12th day, locals would finish making the lanterns, but before hanging them, take them to Longshen Temple on Chenghuang Hill to get divine blessings.
On the 13th day, people would hang the lanterns from trees and eaves and light them. In the meantime, women would start to make tangyuan.
From 15th to 18th day, the Yuanxiao temple fair was underway. Lines of glowing and gorgeous lanterns with riddles written on the sides decorated streets. People would try to solve the riddles. It was also an ideal time for lovers.
Shanghai Daily picks a few Yuanxiao activities held across Hangzhou this year to provide a good overview of Hangzhou natives’ celebrations.
• Handmade Lanterns Show @ Dengxin Lane Community
Date: February 14
Address: 14 Dengxin Rd
• Lantern Festival Traditional Folk Custom Seminar @ Wulin Street Community
Date: February 14
Address: 12-1 Zhugan Lane
• Lantern Festival Show and Performance @ Zhuganxiang Community
Date: February 14
Address: 18 Hai’er Lane
• Lantern Riddle Guessing @ Liuying Community Park
Date: February 13
Address: 109-117 Xinhua Rd
• Tangyuan Making Competition @ Wangma Community Park
Date: February 13-15
Address: 2 Yaoxiangsi Lane
• Yuanxiao Blind Date @ Datieguan Pailou
Date: February 14
Address: 1 Datieguan Rd
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