People of the Miao ethnic group perform during the Zhaiying dragon dance art festival in Songtao Miao autonomous county of Tongren, Southwest China’s Guizhou province, Feb 20, 2016. Zhaiying dragon dance is a folk activity for local people of the Miao ethnic group to celebrate the Lantern Festival and send greetings. It has a history of some 600 years and has been listed as one of the provincial intangible cultural heritages in 2007. [Photo/Xinhua]
SHANGHAI — Chinese are decorating lanterns, preparing delicacies and organizing lion dances to celebrate the Lantern Festival, which falls on Feb 22 this year.
In Shanghai, Yu Garden lantern fair, the biggest in the city, will show not only traditional lanterns but also high-tech lighting, the organizers said.
Zhu Lei, an 88-year-old lantern maker, has a shop near Yu Garden. He handmade more than 500 lanterns in the last few months.
Residents solve riddles hung on the lanterns during an activity held at a community to greet the Lantern Festival which falls on Feb 22, in Hefei, East China’s Anhui province, Feb 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
“I did not do it for money. I just wanted to preserve the techniques that have been passed on in my family for generations,” Zhu said.
A lion dancing group from Shanxi province has been invited to perform across the country.
Li Dengshan, a 70-year-old performer, said the group would be paid 4,000 yuan for each show.
Celebrations vary from place to place, but eating sweetened rice dumplings is common across the country.
School students solve riddles during an activity held by a library to greet the Lantern Festival which falls on Feb 22, in Jinan, East China’s Shandong province, Feb 20, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]
Wang Wenyun, from Jinci Town, said her family would only eat homemade dumplings and every member would get involved with the cooking.
“All our friends like our cooking,” Wang said.
Foreign students from Jiangsu University solve riddles with local residents to greet Chinese Lantern Festival in the Runzhou District of Zhenjiang city, East China’s Jiangsu province, Feb 20, 2016. The Lantern Festival falls on Feb 22 this year. [Photo/Xinhua]
Children learn to make rabbit-shaped lanterns at a shopping center in Shanghai, Feb 20, 2016. The shopping center organized an activity to teach children actions of lion dance and making skills of rabbit-shaped lanterns on Feb 20.[Photo/Xinhua]
An iron water splashing show is performed to greet the Lantern Festival in a scenic spot in Zaozhuang city, East China’s Shandong province, Feb 19, 2016. Performers wear fireproof suits and masks to keep safe during the show.[Photo/Xinhua]
A lion dance is performed in Feixi county, East China’s Anhui province, Feb 18, 2016. Several celebrations took place in Anhui on Feb 18 to greet the lantern festival which falls on Feb 22.[Photo/Xinhua]
People dance in Hefei, capital of East China’s Anhui province, Feb 18, 2016. Several celebrations took place in Anhui on Feb 18 to greet the lantern festival which falls on Feb 22. [Photo/Xinhua]
