21:31, 02-Mar-2018
Lantern Festival: Celebrations and age-old traditions across China
[]
Share
Copied
The Lantern Festival is steeped with over two thousand years of tradition. And while you may have heard of the dragon dance, have you ever heard of the fish dance? Numerous fish lanterns lit up the night in Zhaikou village, a cultural site in east China's Zhejiang Province. Locals say their fish lanterns have a history of more than 600 years.
Another popular tradition is to solve riddles. They're usually short, but they cover a diverse range of themes, from folklore to ancient wisdom. In Inner Mongolia, to test one's wits, lanterns are decorated with brain teasers.
For Chinese families, food is such a pivotal part of the celebration. Yuanxiao, which are round sticky dumplings with sweet filling, are very popular on the last day of Spring Festival. But in northeast Liaoning Province, there's a twist, people are being more creative, adding flavors like strawberry and durian. Sure sounds like a sweet way to cap off the festival!