Among them will be the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, an Illusion Tunnel, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts. Over 40 larger-than-life lanterns with the theme of “Adventure in Lantern Wonderland” will grace the gardens. This year, festival visitors will get a taste of “Wonderland,” Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts included. China Lights returns to the Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee County for the fifth time this fall, running from Sept. That said, some folks certainly still opt for the simplicity of a small gathering rather than dealing with large crowds.MILWAUKEE - The wildly popular Chinese lantern festival is back after a two-year hiatus. There's nothing culturally insensitive about attending these events, so long as they are created in accordance with the tradition and that folks who attend educate themselves on the foundational significance of what a Lantern Festival represents. Many modern Lantern Festivals are more so full-blown public events including concerts, fireworks, and elaborate lantern shows. Everyone gathers outside their home and lights their lanterns for fun to carry on the tradition. Traditionally, the Lantern Festival is celebrated within the neighborhood, with family and neighbors. It then arrives to the Gods to be granted. Families are also encouraged to write their dreams and ambitions on the lantern, which is thought to be sent to the heavens when it is lit and let go. Physically, the round shape of the lantern represents unity, whereas the action of letting the lantern go into the night sky represents hope. The lantern symbolizes new beginnings, happiness, and hope. Families spend the day before prepping for the event, making both paper lanterns and food, including tang yuan (湯圓), which are sticky, spherical sweets made with rice and sometimes filled with a sweet red bean paste or sweetened peanuts.Īfter a celebratory meal, the Lantern Festival is traditionally spent with a visit to a temple to pray for a safe year. The Lantern Festival is also the biggest celebration of the whole Lunar New Year period. Lantern Festivals are associated with sweet meanings for happiness, reconciliation and togetherness. (Indeed, on February 5, the full moon in Leo takes the sky.) In places and cultures where Lantern Festivals are common, like China and Taiwan, they're associated with sweet meanings for happiness, reconciliation and togetherness. The Lantern Festival is also called YuanXiao Jie (元宵節), which loosely translates to “first night,” denoting it being the last day of the New Year celebrations and first night for a full moon in the Lunar New Year. Below, learn about the Lantern Festival's significance plus how to participate. The final day of the celebrations culminates with the Lantern Festival, which includes a festive meal and activities, like lighting wishing lanterns to invite success for the year ahead. Lunar New Year traditions and activities take place throughout the entire 15-day celebration period. In addition to food, the Lunar New Year focuses on on familial togetherness and cleaning the house to energetically prepare for a new year. Dishes like steamed fish, dumplings and also hot pot are also part of the New Year spread because they represent plentiness, wealth, and also unity, respectively, which are all eaten during the big family New Year’s Eve feast. Ingredients like oranges and pineapple must be eaten because they symbolize prosperity and growth in the year ahead. Food plays an important role in the celebrations, with many ingredients being consumed because they're thought to bring good luck, good fortune, and good health. Many Chinese families (including mine) associate the Lunar New Year with eating. The Lantern Festival falls on the final day of 15-day Lunar New Year celebration-this year, on February 5.Ī number of countries celebrate the Lunar New Year (which is why it is incorrect to call it the "Chinese New Year"), and have their own versions of it. I’m a capable, independent adult in my thirties, and she’s concerned I’m not able to procure the necessities to celebrate the upcoming Lantern Festival, honoring the Year of the Rabbit. I can’t help but giggle as I read my mom’s last text message to me. "Michelle, do you want me to send you some bunny lanterns? Yes, I will send you half a dozen, and you can use them or give them to your friends."
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