Lantern Festival to end the Lunar New Year

Happy Lantern Festival! Today marks the final day of Lunar New Year celebrations and it’s basically the most beautiful ‘closing ceremony’ ever. Here’s why this day is actually a big deal.

Known as Yuan Xiao Jie, this festival happens on the first full moon of the lunar year. It’s all about light, hope and reunions. Lighting lanterns signifies ‘lighting the way’ for a bright future and letting go of the past year’s burdens.

If you’re celebrating today, you’re probably doing these three things:
1. Eating Jiandui: These sweet, chewy rice balls symbolize family togetherness. Because they’re round, they represent the full moon and a ‘complete’ family circle.
2. Solving Riddles: Back in the day, people would write riddles on lanterns. If you solved one, you’d get a little gift! It’s basically the original trivia night.
3. The Lion Dance: Catching one last performance to scare away any lingering bad luck before the year fully kicks into gear.

So, whether you’re releasing a lantern or just enjoying a bowl of something sweet, here’s to a year full of light. Happy Lantern Festival!