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| Date The 15th day of the 1st month in the Chinese calendar. March 4th in 2007. |
| Ways of celebration The Lion Dance, fireworks displays and easting glutinous rice balls are all part of Lantern festival. |
| Origin |
| The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, usually in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival of significance. |
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| Other |
| In the daytime of the Festival, performances such as a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, a yang ge (秧歌) dance, and walking on stilts and beating drums while dancing are staged. In the night magnificent lanterns and fireworks form a beautiful scene. Most families save some fireworks from the Spring Festival to let off at the Lantern Festival. Some local governments even organize a fireworks party. On the night when the first full moon enters the New Year, people watch in awe at the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky. |
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| Vocabulary |
元宵
yuán xiāo
glutinous rice ball (often with sweet sesame filling)
灯笼
dēng lóng
Lantern |
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