Lanterns of all shapes and sizes are lighting up events and homes across China as cities and villages prepare to welcome the Lantern Festival with vibrant cultural displays and time-honored traditions.
Although the week-long Spring Festival holiday has ended, celebrations will continue until the Lantern Festival, traditionally marking the conclusion of the Spring Festival period. This year, the Lantern Festival falls on February 12.
In Ningde City of east China's Fujian Province, locals from Wanyao Village are celebrating the Lantern Festival with a unique cultural heritage activity, the Wanban Dragon Dance. The dragon lanterns used in the performance are crafted from wooden boards used in daily productions, depicting a dragon chasing a ball. Starting three days before the festival, villagers hold the lanterns high in a procession stretching over a hundred meters to parade around streets, inviting the community to join the celebration.
"I just came here today and watched the Wanban Dragon Dance. It was marvelous. I will bring my family with me to visit and enjoy the show next year," said a tourist.
Another lantern dance event was held in the eastern village of Xiashan in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, but with a local twist. Instead of dragon lanterns, the performance features fish lanterns, highlighting the local traditional fishing industry. This year's fish lantern parade was led by a four-meter "fish king", and six themed lantern teams, each telling a different story. Visitors were also encouraged to make their own fish lanterns and join the parade.
"We have never seen performances like this. And we also made our own fish lantern to share the festive Chinese New Year atmosphere," a traveler who viewed the parade said.
In addition to traditional celebrations, Yangzhou City of Jiangsu Province, east China, incorporated modern elements into the traditional festivities. Festival lanterns with different patterns and materials are drawing local customers, with the best-sellers including snake lanterns to mark the Year of the Snake and lanterns made of holographic paper that glitter at night.
"I thought that the snake lanterns would be hard to sell, but they have turned out to be a big hit. Totaling retails and wholesales, I sell around 200 snake lanterns every day, and the lanterns are nearly out of stock now," said a local vendor.
Cultural heritage shines as Chinese cities, villages celebrate Lantern Festival
