These Lunar New Year Photos Show The Warm Glow Of The Lantern Festival
People gather near a rabbit-shaped lantern during the Lantern Festival, marking the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Feb. 5, 2023.
Each year, the Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar and signifies the end of Lunar New Year. Throughout Eastern and Central Asia, people celebrate this day by creating paper lanterns of different shapes and sizes, lighting fireworks, and taking part in numerous colorful traditions. It’s said that the Lantern Festival began around 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty, under Emperor Ming’s reign when he saw Buddhist monks in temples lighting lanterns to coincide with the first full moon of the year.
The Lantern Festival has become widely adopted as a cultural staple of the Lunar New Year and promotes reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. Lanterns have evolved into intricate large-scale creations that are made after weeks of preparation. A common tradition can include writing riddles or wishes on paper lanterns, with the lanterns themselves being signifiers of good fortune. A number of this year’s decorations playfully reflected the Year of the Rabbit with rabbit-shaped lanterns adorning cities and villages across China and beyond. One of the largest gatherings happens in New Taipei City, Taiwan, for the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. Participants release thousands of lit paper lanterns into the night sky, with many writing their wishes before sending their lanterns off.
A performer takes part in a folk dance with firecrackers during the Lantern Festival in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
A child poses for a photo in Guangzhou Cultural Park in China during the Lantern Festival on Feb. 5, 2023.
People jump over a bonfire to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Haikou, Hainan province, China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
Folk artists perform a dragon dance in the splash of molten iron to celebrate the Lantern Festival at Huanglongxi in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
Fireworks explode over the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, nicknamed "the Big Lotus," to celebrate the Lantern Festival and welcome the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
Villagers celebrate the Lantern Festival at Nanzhangjing in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province of China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
Tourists visit the Confucius Temple to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Nanjing in Jiangsu province, China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
People dressed in traditional hanfu costumes hold fish lanterns during the Lantern Festival at Xiangyang in Hubei province of China, Feb. 5, 2023.
Aerial view of tourists during the Lantern Festival in Xiangyang in Hubei province of China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
People gather to celebrate the Lantern Festival at the Yu Garden in Beijing, Feb. 5, 2023.
A full moon rises above an ancient building during the Lantern Festival in Taian in Shandong province of China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
People visit the Yu Garden decorated with illuminated lanterns during the Lantern Festival in Shanghai, Feb. 5, 2023.
People gather to celebrate the Lantern Festival at the Yu Garden in Beijing, Feb. 5, 2023.
People celebrate the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival by setting off hundreds of thousands of lanterns into the sky in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Feb. 5, 2023.
People release sky lanterns during the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Feb. 5, 2023.
Lanterns are lit and released into the night sky during the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Feb. 5, 2023.
A child stands in front of flowers in Guangzhou Cultural Park during the Lantern Festival on Feb. 5, 2023.
A photo of decorations is seen on someone's phone during Lantern Festival celebrations in in Guangzhou Cultural Park in China, Feb. 5, 2023.
People take photos in Guangzhou Cultural Park during the Lantern Festival, Feb. 5, 2023.
People enjoy decorations during the Lantern Festival in Guangzhou, China, on Feb. 5, 2023.
People take a selfie in Guangzhou Cultural Park during the Lantern Festival in China, Feb. 5, 2023.
People enjoy the Lantern Festival in Taipei, Taiwan, Feb. 5, 2023.
A rabbit statue lantern is on display for Lunar New Year in Taipei, Taiwan, Feb. 5, 2023.
Children on a rabbit-shaped electric-powered lantern decoration on display inside a Beijing shopping mall, Feb. 5, 2023.
