Lantern Festival :
The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival
in China. It falls on the15th day of the first
lunar month--Yuanxiao Jie.The way of making
the lanterns differs according to the natural
environment. Lanterns are different in the
north and the south. In Northern Shaanxi Province,
women in the countryside use sorghum stalks
to make lantern frames, then they paste red
paper on the frames. In this way, they make
all sorts of lanterns, such as pumpkin lanterns,
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persimmon lanterns and sheep lanterns. They also
cut potatoes into a bowl shape. Then they put
oil into the bowl-shaped potatoes and place lampwicks
in them and cover the potatoes with red paper
lampshades. People hang red lanterns over the
gates of their cave dwellings. Willow trees are
also decorated with coloured paper. Red lanterns
are hung here and there on willow trees. The trees
are called lantern trees or spark trees.
Beijing was the capital of several dynasties in
Chinese history. On the Lantern Festival, all sorts
of lanterns were hung in the palace. Artists made
fancy lanterns, whose frames ere made with carved
fine wood. They covered lanterns with silk, gauze,
glass and sliced ox horn on which pictures of landscapes,
flowers and birds were painted. At that Dengshikou
(Lantern Fair Gateway) near Wangfujing Street was
where lantern exhibitions were held at that time.
Harbin in North China is called an ice city.
All sorts of lanterns are made there with ice.
The sparking, crystal-clear lanterns are really
beautiful.
Fujian has an abundance of rain, so the buildings
on both sides of its streets all have overhanging
upper storeys known as qi lou to shelter pedestrians
from the rain. On the the Lantern Festival colourful
lanterns are hung over the qi lou. Street sometimes
have thousands of coloured lanterns hung along
them.
Lanterns come in different shapes, such as bird,
animal, flower and fish. Some lanterns are shaped
like fruit, such as oranges, litchis, pineapples
and others. Some are very modern like rocket and
satellite lanterns. Fragrant smells waft in the
breeze from the lanterns. Sandalwood incense is
burned in octagonal palace lanterns.
In previous times, young women and men did not
have free social contact. Therefore, the Lantern
Festival became an opportunity to look for marriage
partners. There is a famous love story from ancient
times among the people of Quanzhou. At the Lantern
Huang Wuniang. They fell in love at first sight.
But Wuniang's father was greedy for San disguised
himself as a tradesman who polished bronze mirrors.
He went to Huang's home to polish their bronze
mirrors. He went to Huang's home to polish their
bronze mirror and broke the bronze mirror purposely.
To pay for the mirror, he sold himself into the
Huang family as a slave. By doing so, he had the
chance to meet Wuniang secretly. At last he and
Wuniang ran away from the family and got married.
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