The Lantern Festival, also known as the Yuan Xiao or the Shang Yuan Festival, is celebrated in today’s Doodle. It has been noticed in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and other countries. People all around Asia light extravagant lanterns and hang them in the night sky for good fortune on the 15th of the first lunar month, which marks the conclusion of the lunar new year celebrations.
Lantern Festival celebrations date back to the Han Dynasty, approximately 2,000 years ago. Several tales surround the origins of this festival, the most well-known of which relates the story of the Jade Emperor. According to legend, a peasant accidently hunted down his prized crane. The emperor, enraged, intended to burn down the settlement in vengeance. His sympathetic daughter warned the locals and encouraged them to create the illusion of disaster just before he ordered his men to launch the raid. To simulate fire, the villagers strung red lanterns in front of their homes and launched a large number of lanterns into the sky. The emperor called off the attack because he believed the settlement had already been destroyed.
The vivid lanterns, which are generally red, represent the leaving of the old and the coming of the new. People frequently put their wishes on the lanterns in the belief that they would be granted in the new year. Some lanterns even have puzzles, and youngsters who answer them might win a special prize. Several lion and dragon dances are staged throughout the celebrations, in which costumed dancers execute acrobatic acrobatics and martial arts-inspired exploits. Tang yuan, steamed or cooked rice balls loaded with sweet fillings, is another favourite treat available to festivalgoers.
