Posts Tagged lantern festival
Lantern Riddles
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Festival on April 16, 2010
Lantern riddles are displayed during traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Chinese Lantern Festival, Chinese middle autumn festival, etc. The full name of ‘Lantern Riddles‘ are ‘riddles written on lanterns‘.
In ancient China, people believed that it was as difficult to kill a tiger as it was to guess a lantern puzzle, so, it had another name – tiger lantern. Usually, there were four riddles written on red vertical strips of paper pasted to each lantern which was attached by a string.
The guessing tradition can date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD), guessing riddles gradually became a contest among men. It reached its peak in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) when it is became popular among all the people.
The main subjects of the riddles included traditional songs, poems, stories or historical events, etc.
A example of Lantern Riddles
Riddles: What’s full of holes but still holds water?
Answer: a sponge
Lantern Festival
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Festival on March 3, 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.
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