ISA meeting 20150305, Lantern Festival culture presentation

1. Lantern Festival
元宵节
Yuanxiao
Junxiao Shi, 2015-03-05
Jan 15 of lunar calendar
first full moon since Chinese New Year
photo ©2012, North sea deamer
©2015, yoursunny.com
CreativeCommons BY-NC-SA 3.0

2. Origin
• dated before 104 BC
• celebration of
• the declining darkness of
winter,
• community's ability to
move about at night with
human-made light, namely,
lanterns

3. 灯笼 lanterns
• made of paper & wood,
lit by candle
• Red color symbolizes
good fortune.
• The displaying of
lanterns is a major
event on Lantern
Festival.
©2002,Thierry

4. 猜灯谜 guessing lantern riddles
• Patrons solve puzzles written on lanterns.
• They often contain messages of good
fortune, family reunion, abundant harvest,
prosperity, and love.
src

5. 猜灯谜 guessing lantern riddles
• 头尖身细白如银
• 称称没有半毫分
• 眼睛长到屁股上
• 光认衣裳不认人
• What household item:
• has a sharp tip, a thin body,
silver color,
• is less than half gram on the
scale,
• has its eye on the butt,
• goes into clothing but not
people?

6. 汤圆 glutinous rice balls
• filled with ground black
sesame seeds mixed
with sugar
• cooked and served in
boiling water
• traditional food for Lantern Festival in Shanghai and
beyond
©2006, 陈少举

7. 兔子灯 rabbit lamp
• rabbit-shaped toy with
wheels, towed by kids
• made with paper and
bamboo, lit by candle.
• Why rabbit? Chinese folklore
portrays a "moon rabbit" as a
companion of the Moon goddess
Chang'e.
src

8. A little fact
• Junxiao was born on a Lantern Festival.
• The last character of his name is
homophonic of this festival.
• Junxiao ~ Yuanxiao, got it?