Happy Lantern Festival!

The Lantern Festival, also called Shangyuan Festival, is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the

lunisolar Chinese calendar, during the full moon. Usually falling in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day

of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 25), it had become a festival with great

significance.

During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns (traditional Chinese: 猜燈謎;

simplified Chinese: 猜灯谜; pinyin: cāidēngmí). In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had

large ornate ones.In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs. For example, lanterns are now often made

in the shape of animals. The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones, which they will let go of

the next year. The lanterns are almost always red to symbolize good fortune.

The festival acts as an Uposatha day on the Chinese calendar. It should not be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival; which is sometimes

also known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Lantern Festivals have also become popular

in Western countries, such as the Water Lantern Festival held in multiple locations in the United States. In London, the Magical Lantern

Festival is held annually.