Yuanxiao, called also as Tangyuan, is the necessary food for Chinese to celebrate Yuanxiao festival. Yuanxiao is a kind of dumpling made of sticky rice and sweet filling. Yuanxiao is round, white and sweet. The form of Yuanxiao symbolizes full moon, because the 15th of lunar January is the first full moon day of the lunar year. In Chinese culture round symbolizes also perfect, so Yuanxiao festival symbolizes a perfect end of Chinese New Year festival.
Chinese started to celebrate Yuanxiao festival since Han dynasty (202 BC - 220). However, the first official documentation about Yuanxiao festival was made in Sui dynasty (581-618). The documentation recorded the official light exhibition held in the capital, Changan city, in 610. According to the documentation, Duan-port (the main port) of the city was decorated with many lanterns, so that the night there looked like daytime.
It is a custom that Chinese local governments hold light exhibitions on Yuanxiao festival. They lighten the big buildings in downtowns with a lot of lights and lanterns in the evening of Yuanxiao festival. In the last decades, enterprises have become active lantern contributors to the light exhibitions. They make lanterns in popular figures, such as, flowers, animals, roles in legends and historic stories, etc. They put the lanterns at the places where people like to visit, such as, park and walking street. These lanterns are exhibited not only in Yuanxiao festival, but also other days of Chinese New Year festival.
Light symbolizes hope, progress and happiness. Light exhibition reflects the expectations of Chinese people of good life and the value of Chinese New Year festival for Chinese.
Yuanxiao festival
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