The Lantern Festival, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, marks the traditional end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. It is one of the most important traditional festivals in China and is celebrated with lanterns, riddles, family gatherings, and traditional foods.
The first month of the lunar calendar is called Yuan, while the ancient Chinese word for night was xiao. Therefore, the fifteenth night of the first lunar month came to be known as the Yuanxiao Festival, or Lantern Festival. It is also known as the Shangyuan Festival.
The fifteenth day of the lunar month is usually associated with the first full moon of the lunar year. It symbolizes the return of spring, the beginning of a new cycle, and the continuation of the celebrations that began with Chinese New Year.
A Night of Lanterns
Traditionally, when the full moon rises on the night of the Lantern Festival, people light colorful lanterns and gather outdoors to celebrate.
Families and friends go out to admire the moon and lantern displays, while streets and public spaces become filled with lights and festive activities. People solve lantern riddles, watch traditional performances, eat sweet rice dumplings, and enjoy time together with their families.
For this reason, the Lantern Festival is also commonly known as the Festival of Lanterns.
The custom of lighting lanterns has a long history. According to historical tradition, lantern celebrations became particularly prominent during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). Lanterns were displayed throughout imperial palaces and city streets, and elaborate lantern towers, wheels, and trees were created for public celebrations.
The Tang poet Lu Zhaolin vividly described the spectacular scene of the Lantern Festival in his poem Watching Lanterns on the Fifteenth Night, comparing the lights to falling stars and the bright moon hanging above the buildings.
During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), Lantern Festival celebrations became even more elaborate. Lantern displays could continue for several days, and the variety and craftsmanship of the lanterns increased considerably.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), celebrations could last for around ten days in some places, making it one of the longest festival periods in Chinese history. During the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), although the official celebration period was shorter, large-scale lantern displays and fireworks continued to attract huge crowds.
The Tradition of Solving Lantern Riddles
One of the most popular activities of the Lantern Festival is solving lantern riddles, known in Chinese as dengmi.
The tradition became popular during the Song Dynasty. Riddles were written on pieces of paper and attached to colorful lanterns for visitors to solve. People of different ages and social backgrounds could take part.
Lantern riddles were particularly popular because they combined entertainment with intellectual challenge. Solving them required knowledge, imagination, and clever thinking, making the activity an enduring part of Lantern Festival culture.
Today, lantern riddles remain a popular activity at traditional festivals, schools, cultural events, and community celebrations.
Eating Tangyuan
Another essential Lantern Festival tradition is eating tangyuan, round glutinous rice dumplings usually filled with sweet fillings.
Tangyuan can be filled with ingredients such as sesame paste, red bean paste, peanuts, sugar, or fruit-based fillings. They may be boiled, steamed, fried, or prepared in other ways depending on the region.
The round shape of tangyuan symbolizes reunion and completeness. The Chinese pronunciation of tangyuan is also associated with the idea of tuanyuan, meaning family reunion.
For Chinese families, eating tangyuan during the Lantern Festival expresses wishes for family unity, harmony, happiness, and a prosperous future. It can also represent affection for family members who are far away.
Walking to Drive Away Illness
In some regions of China, people traditionally observed a custom known as “Walking Away a Hundred Illnesses.”
Participants, traditionally including many women, would walk together through streets and rural areas, sometimes crossing bridges or walking along city walls and through the countryside. The custom was believed to help drive away illness and misfortune and bring health and good fortune for the coming year.
The practice varied considerably from one region to another and is now less common than other Lantern Festival traditions.
Dragon Dances, Lion Dances and Folk Performances
As the Lantern Festival developed over the centuries, more forms of entertainment became part of the celebrations.
Depending on the region, festivals may feature:
- Dragon dances
- Lion dances
- Stilt walking
- Land-boat dances
- Yangko folk dances
- Traditional drum performances
- Fireworks and lantern displays
These performances create a lively atmosphere and showcase the diversity of traditional Chinese folk culture.
The Historical Origins of the Lantern Festival
The exact origins of the Lantern Festival are complex, and several historical explanations and legends have been passed down through the centuries.
The festival has a history of more than two thousand years. Some traditions can be traced to the Western Han Dynasty, while the custom of lighting lanterns is often associated with the Eastern Han Dynasty.
One traditional explanation connects lantern lighting with Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty. According to historical accounts and later traditions, Emperor Ming supported Buddhism and learned of Buddhist practices involving monks observing sacred relics and lighting lamps on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He is said to have ordered lanterns to be lit in the imperial palace and Buddhist temples, and eventually the practice spread among ordinary people.
Over time, religious ceremonies, imperial traditions, and local folk customs gradually blended together, transforming the Lantern Festival into a major public celebration.
Another explanation links the festival’s lantern tradition to the ancient Three Yuan concept in Taoism. According to this tradition, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was the Shangyuan Festival, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month was the Zhongyuan Festival, and the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month was the Xiayuan Festival.
The Shangyuan Festival was associated with the Heavenly Official, who was believed to enjoy celebrations and happiness. Lighting lanterns therefore became an important part of the festival.
These different explanations reflect the way Chinese festivals developed over long periods of history. Rather than having a single universally accepted origin, the Lantern Festival was shaped by a combination of religious beliefs, imperial traditions, seasonal celebrations, and local customs.
How the Festival Changed Through History
The length and scale of Lantern Festival celebrations changed considerably throughout Chinese history.
During the Han Dynasty, celebrations were relatively short. By the Tang Dynasty, they had expanded to several days. During the Song Dynasty, celebrations could last for around five days, while during parts of the Ming Dynasty, lanterns could be displayed from the eighth day of the first lunar month until the seventeenth, creating a festival period of around ten days.
During these periods, daytime markets and nighttime lantern displays transformed cities into lively centers of entertainment. The magnificent lanterns became one of the highlights of the entire Chinese New Year season.
By the Qing Dynasty, traditional performances such as dragon dances, lion dances, stilt walking, land-boat dances, and Yangko dancing had become important parts of many local celebrations, although the festival period was generally shorter.
The Meaning of the Lantern Festival Today
Today, the Lantern Festival remains an important part of Chinese culture. Modern celebrations may include large public lantern exhibitions, traditional performances, cultural activities, fireworks, and lantern-riddle competitions.
Although many customs have changed over time, the central themes of the festival remain familiar: light, reunion, happiness, renewal, and hope.
The Lantern Festival is not only the closing celebration of the Chinese New Year season. It is also a reflection of China’s long cultural history and the enduring importance of family, community, tradition, and hope for the future.
The festival is celebrated throughout mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and in Chinese communities around the world, making it one of the most recognizable traditional Chinese festivals internationally.