Lantern Festival
Posted by sharon in Uncategorized on March 3rd, 2010
Lantern Festival, also known as Yuan Xiao Festival or Shang Yuan Festival, falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month. For Chinese, it is a festival of great significance that is widely celebrated by families all around China.
The festival has a long history in China which can date back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25). There are many different versions about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But it is believed that it had something to do with religious worship.
In the daytime of that day, people have the chance to appreciate wonderful performances such as lion dances, dragon lantern dances, yangge dances, etc. At night, most families will let off fireworks. But the main attraction on that day is the lanterns. Decorative lanterns depicting animals, flowers, historical figures are found everywhere. People may also participate in the game which is called Guessing Lantern Riddles.
Another important part of the festival is eating Yuanxiao or Tangyuan, small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. Nowadays, the custom of eating Yuanxiao still remains.
Bamboo
Posted by sharon in Chinese Arts & Crafts on February 26th, 2010
In the world of plants, bamboo, together with plum blossom, orchids and chrysanthemum are called the Four Gentlemen or the four Noble Ones as they are believed to have something in common with human virtues. People believe that its deep root denotes resoluteness, its tall, straight stem represents honorability, its hollow interior modesty and its clean and spartan exterior exemplifies chastity.
Due to its characteristics, it has been highly favored by Chinese, especially the scholars. It can be commonly found in Chinese paintings and literary works.
When bamboo was placed in a fire it would create a loud crackling sound which was similar to firecrackers, therefore, in ancient times, it was always used to frighten away evil spirits, such as the mythical beast Nian.
Pangu Seperates the Sky from the Earth
Posted by sharon in Chinese Myths on February 24th, 2010
Story goes that long long ago, the sky and earth were integrated into one body that like an egg. The whole universe was inside a shell so it was dark and quiet. Then Pengu, who was born to set about the task of creating the world, finally woke up after his long nap. When he found the universe was too small for him, he picked up an axe and broke the shell. The sky and earth were separated from each other after his swing of axe. Afraid that the two get together again, Pangu stood between them and pushed up the sky.
However, the whole task took 18,000 years. During all these days, Pangu grew ten feet a day and the distance between the sky and earth increased each day. After 18,000 years, Pangu exhausted and went back to sleep but never wake up again.
It is said that his left eye became the sun and his right eye became the moon; his trunk became high mountains and his blood became rivers; his muscle became the soil field; his hair and beard became the stars and grasses; his teeth and bones turned out to be precious stones and minerals; his breath became the wind and cloud; his shout became the thunderbolt; his sweat turned out to be the rain. The parasites on his body then became the divers races of humankind.
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