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Hainan’s Sanya kicks off celebrations to honor Lantern Festival

Yuan Xiao Jie marks the end of a two-week celebration of the Lunar New Year

© Wu Wei/Hainan Daily

Sanya /China/, February 14. /TASS/. The Chinese city of Sanya on Hainan Island is holding mass celebrations on the occasion of the traditional Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao Jie), which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month., the Hainan Daily reported.

The festivities are held in the center of the city. Dancers dressed in traditional Chinese costumes, or hanfu, perform for locals and tourists alike. Spectators also have the chance to dress up in this traditional attire, worn nowadays only on festive occasions. Residents and tourists alike enjoy participating in festive competitions, including archery and throwing arrows into a vase, a traditional Chinese game.

There will be a festival market in Sanya during the celebration, where you can buy both souvenirs and delicious food. The market will offer tangyuan, a traditional treat prepared for the Lantern Festival. Tangyuan are boiled balls of rice flour with a variety of fillings.

The Lantern Festival is accompanied by special traditions. Homes and streets are decorated with paper lanterns. One of the activities associated with Yuan Xiao Jie is guessing riddles. They are written in verse on pieces of paper, which are attached to the lanterns. Whoever guesses a riddle can get a small gift from the author of the riddle or the organizer of the festival.

Yuan Xiao Jie marks the end of the two-week celebration of the Lunar New Year, the Festival of Spring (Chunjie). The people of China celebrate it on the night of January 31 to February 1. It will be held under the auspices of the blue water tiger, a symbol of strength and courage.

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