History
| Lantern Festival | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 元宵節 or 上元節 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 元宵节 or 上元节 | ||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 十五暝 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | fifteenth night | ||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||
| Quốc ngữ | Tết Thượng Nguyên or Tết Nguyên Tiêu | ||||||
The first month of the lunar calendar is called yuanmonth, and in ancient times people called night xiaoin Mandarin; therefore, the day is called Yuan Xiao（元宵） Festival in China and Taiwan/Formosa. The fifteenth day is the first night one can see a full moon in that lunar year. According to East Asian tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve puzzles on lanterns, eat yuanxiao ('元宵'in Mandarin) (a glutinous rice ball, also known as tangyuan (simplified Chinese: 汤圆; traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán) and enjoy a family reunion.
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