Lantern FestivalⅣ

Lantern-riddles-guessing came into being in the Southern Song Dynasty. It was quite a popular activity at that time. People put the riddles down and pasted them on the lanterns. Every one could participate in the guess. But it was not easy to work the riddles out, for there were strict rules, which one should obey whenever he or she wanted to create a riddle or work out one. Nowadays, the activity is still favored by people but those strict rules have gone outdated. According to some old writings, Tangyuan appeared at the end of the Song Dynasty. Tangyuan is a very traditional snack of China. It is a lovely ball generally made from glutinous rice flour. It tastes sweet with varieties of fillings such as black sesame, bean paste, and lotus seed paste, etc. Tangyuan symbolizes reunion. People eat Tangyuan together with their family members. Apart from the age-old activities, which were handed down from generation to generation, a lot of new activities have been added into the festival, such as Loong Lantern Dance, Loin Lantern Dance, and Stilt Walk, etc.