The Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival that marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year Celebration. Those who are well-versed on Chinese history know that this day is significant for several reasons. There are many different legends and myths tied to this day. They include several different emperors, warriors, gods, and mythical creatures. Each story has a different explanation for the lighting of the lanterns. One belief is that the festival celebrates humans’ ability to move about at night with human-made light during the darkness of winter. A legend claims that the lanterns are lit to commemorate an ancient warrior who died while leading a successful rebellion against a tyrannical king. Regardless of how the tradition began, this day is special to so many people across China. On the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles. In ancient times, only those who hold high social status had ornate lamps, and the rest were relatively simple.
Today, lanterns come in many different shapes and sizes and hold different meanings for every person who celebrates the Lantern Festival. Although for many, the lanterns can symbolize the people releasing their former selves and beginning their new ones which will be released a year later. The lanterns are also almost always red, the most popular color in China, which can symbolize many different things including good fortune.