Lighting
lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the Chinese
year began as a tradition during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE).
It was meant to show respect for Buddha. So the Lantern Festival has
been celebrated for more than 2,000 years!
One
tradition I had never heard of is guessing lantern riddles. People
write riddles and paste them on the colorful lanterns in their house
or shop. Visitors try to guess the riddles; when people think they
know an answer, they pull off the paper and go to the host to see if
they are right. Gifts are given to the people who get the right
answers.
Another
tradition is the Lion Dance. This is often performed by one or two
people in a lion costume; performers can either show off their
acrobatic and stilt-walking skills or they can go for realistic
lionlike movements.
You
don't have to be in a lion costume to do stilt-walking during this
festival! Many performers walk with stilts bound to their feet, and
some performers do difficult tricks on the stilts.
If
I could be anywhere in China tonight, I might choose Culture Park in
Sichuan. The park is supposed to be an ocean of lit lanterns, with
one golden-dragon lantern spiraling up a 27-meter-high pole; the
dragon lantern spews fireworks from its mouth!
- Riddle me this... Check out some traditional riddles. Can you guess the answers?
- Kaboose offers directions to help you make a simple paper lantern.
- This video shows many more advanced lantern shapes, which you can learn to make here.
Also
on this date:
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