The Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar falls on Feb. 24 this year, with countless lights illuminating the joyful atmosphere. Also known as Yuanxiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival, people celebrate by appreciating lanterns, eating yuanxiao (glutinous rice dumplings), guessing riddles on lanterns, and setting off fireworks to symbolize family reunion. In Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and other countries, the Lantern Festival is celebrated in unique ways with traditional customs.
"In Malaysia, the Lantern Festival is like a blind date event, where single men and women will participate in the orange-throwing activity, hoping to find their Mr. Right or Snow White," said Lin Suhui, a Malaysian studying at Henan University of Chinese Medicine (HUCM). She said that during the Lantern Festival, girls will write their names and contacts on the oranges and throw them into the river, and boys will compete to fish up the oranges and then contact the owners. This "blind box" method adds fun and is popular among young people. Nowadays, with the development of the times, it has evolved to include throwing bananas, apples, durians, and other fruits.
Lin said that she came from a Chinese family, with grandparents from Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. Therefore, her family pays great attention to educating her in traditional Chinese culture since childhood. The family also celebrates the Chinese Lunar New Year according to the customs of southern China. And the Lantern Festival is one of the most important festivals for them.
The Loy Krathong Festival is considered Thailand’s equivalent of the Lantern Festival. TATSANEE, a Thai girl studying at Henan University of Chinese Medicine (HUCM), said that the Loy Krathong Festival typically takes place in November and shares many similarities with the Lantern Festival. People will release various water lanterns adorned with incense candles to make wishes. They stroll along the riverside, admiring the floating water lanterns and the moon.
"In the northern and northeastern parts of Thailand, there are some places where people will release the sky lanterns, and some places will hold the beauty pageants during the festival. And I hope to take my Chinese friends to Thailand to experience the romantic Loy Krathong Festival," said TATSANEE.
Selina comes from Vietnam and was deeply impressed by Henan’s rich and splendid culture during her visit to Zhengzhou last year. According to Selina, the Lunar New Year is also one of the grandest traditional festivals in Vietnam, and many places hold lantern festivals and fairs during Lantern Festival. "Vietnam also has historically significant places like Hoi An Ancient Town, where the Lantern Festival is famous far and wide. I treasure a lantern given to me by a friend from Hoi An, which is brightly colored and uniquely shaped. Lanterns are one of the most popular decorations in Vietnam and can be seen everywhere in cities like Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Hoi An. People believe that red lanterns not only serve as decorations but also bring us good luck and happiness." Selina said.
In Singapore, locals keep many traditional Chinese customs about the Lantern Festival, such as eating colorful yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls). In Japan, the Japanese always call the Lantern Festival “Xiaozhengyue (the first month of the lunar year),” and People typically drink red bean soup and attend lantern festival fairs. South Koreans eat Five-Grain Rice porridge (called "Ogokbap") with hopes for a year of abundance and prosperity.
The Lantern Festival, with its various customs across different countries, yet show the same best wishes to the people of the world.
