People in east China’s Jiangsu province are celebrating the Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Festival which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month and marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations.
Varying from the lion dance and the folk music ensemble, the programs celebrating the Lantern Festival are all self-directed by the amateurs.
The event restored the downtown scene of the middle and late Ming Dynasty in Nanjing.
Visitors to the festival can purchase and experience the original traditional craftsmanship at the handicraft workshop along the streets.
This comprehensive collection of lantern shows, folk performances and country fairs is a comprehensive Yuanxiao event, which reproduces the lively country fair culture unique to the local traditional festivals.
In the ancient town of Huishan, Wuxi, a Yuanxiao event decorated the Jiangnan classical gardens, enabling the visitors to experience a world of light and shadow that has passed through ancient and modern times.
People in Changshu city were enthralled by the riddle guessing event. "Guessing lantern riddles" is an essential part of the Festival.
People write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to these riddles, they can pull the paper out and check their answers. A little gift will be provided if visitors are right.
An inheritor of lantern craftsmanship in Lianyungang city was inspired by his granddaughter to design a festive lantern in the shape of Peppa Pig to inject new vitality into the traditional culture.
Lantern Festival is called "nao yuanxiao" in China. This Festival carries New Year's resolutions. People celebrate the Lantern Festival to express the expectations and aspirations for a better life. Yuanxiao is the special food for Lantern Festival. It is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing. At night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks also form a beautiful scene. When the first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.
(Source：ourjiangsu.com)
