Although the Lantern Festival is a nationwide festival, people in different regions in China have their own special traditions.
In Fengjing, an old town in a suburb of Shanghai, people celebrate the Lantern Festival in an old-fashioned way - releasing floating lanterns in the river. As night falls, locals and tourists gather along the river. They write their wishes on a piece of paper, put it in a lotus-shaped lantern, light it, and then set it free. According to Chinese traditions, releasing lanterns helps to make a dream come true.
A tourist said, "It’s good to celebrate the Lantern Festival in a traditional way. I wish all my family a healthy life!"
And in Fuzhou, in southeast China’s Fujian Province, a spectacular lantern show adds on to the festival atmosphere. More than 20 sets of lanterns in all shapes and sizes made the night just as bright as daytime. And the most eye-catching were these two dazzling horse lanterns.
A tourist said, "I like these horse lanterns the most! They are so beautiful!"
Against the backdrop of this charming lantern show, visitors can enjoy mouthwatering bites and take a stab at solving lantern riddles.
And delicious food is also a must for the Lantern Festival celebrations. While people in most regions of the country eat Yuanxiao, or sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour, people in Pu’er, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, have their own festival food, called baba. This dumpling-like food has various fillings inside, mainly meat and vegetables. And just like Yuanxiao, it symbolizes family reunions as well.