YUANXIAO FESTIVAL 元宵節
歐陽修: 去年元夜時, 花市燈如晝。月上柳梢頭, 人約黃昏後。今年元夜時, 月與燈依舊。不見去年人, 淚濕春衫袖。
Ouyang Xiu: Last year at the Yuanxiao Festival night; Lanterns in flower fairs shone so bright. Atop the willow tree the moon seemed; In that evening together we were seen.
This year at the Yuanxiao Festival night; The moon and lanterns shine as bright.
But nowhere to spot the yesteryear’s lover, Tears will wet my spring gown sleeves forever.
Yuanxiao Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival 上元節 or Lantern Festival 燈節, is celebrated on the15th day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It marks the end of the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). And it is the first full moon of the year. This holiday commenced in Han dynasty. An emperor learned that Buddhist monks lighted lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month to worship Buddha. He commanded to light a great number of lanterns in the palace, temples and monasteries to show respect and piety to Buddha on that day 燃燈敬佛. Eventually, this ritual evolved into an important festival.
The foremost tradition for celebration of Yuanxiao Festival is lighting lanterns. Lanterns are traditionally made to symbolize the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. But nowadays, they are constructed into the shape of other animals, such as phoenixes, horses, cranes, butterflies, and fish, etc. In addition, other lanterns are made into the shape of flowers, plants and architectural patterns. 龍銜火樹千燈艷，雞踏蓮花萬歲春。火樹枝柯密，燭龍鱗甲張。龍銜火樹千燈艷, 魚龍狂舞闌珊處, 花間蜂蝶趁喜狂。 燈樹千光照, 花焰七枝開。千樹霓虹流光轉，萬家燈火照無眠。
At night when the luminous full moon shines gracefully in the sky, showy, multi-colored lanterns are seen hung at homes, flower markets, and storefronts, setting the stage for processions and performances. People leave home and go onto the streets for the festivities. 誰家見月能閒坐？何處聞燈不看來？十二樓前燈似火，四平街外月如霜。正憐火樹千春妍, 忽見清輝映月闌。新正圓月夜，尤重看燈時。月滿蓬壺燦爛燈, 百枝火樹千金韆。燈燒月下月如銀, 滿街珠翠遊村女。月色燈山滿帝都，香車寶蓋隘通衢。 Adults and children, particularly the latter, carry their beautiful lanterns through the streets or to a parade under the poetic moon light. 兒童蹦跳笑聲甜, 六街燈火鬧兒童。
Other customary festivities include dragon dance, lion dance, Chinese opera show, folk dances, acrobatic show, walking on stilts and guessing lantern riddles 猜燈謎. The traditional festival food is Yuan Xiao 元宵, in the south, it is called tangyuan 湯圓, which are round dumpling balls made of sweet glutinous rice flour with sweet fillings. Tangyuan is pronounced similarly to “tuanyuan” 團圓, meaning reunion. 今夕知何夕？團圓事事同。湯官尋舊味，灶婢詫新功。星燦烏雲裡，珠浮濁水中。
Due to feudal moral restriction towards women in ancient China, parents seldom let their young unmarried daughters go out in public. 三步不出閨門, 生在深閨人未識。 Marriages were through the process of matchmaking. 父母之命, 媒妁之言。盲婚啞嫁。 However, during the Yuanxiao Festival, maidens had the rare opportunity to be let out of their houses mostly in groups or chaperoned for the festivities. 金吾不禁夜，玉漏莫相催。They dressed up and went to the temples to give offerings. They enjoyed viewing the beautiful, colorful lanterns on the streets, watching the entertainments, and visiting the flower markets. Most importantly, they could take advantage of the occasion to meet young men, and hopefully their future spouses. There were many matchmaking events including matchmaking games. It was a day for married couples who could go out spending special and romantic moments together. 愿我如星君如月，夜夜流光相皎洁。月暂晦，星常明。留明待月复，三五共盈盈。Consequently, the Yuanxiao Festival has been recognized as the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
辛棄疾: 東風夜放花千樹，更吹落，星如雨。寶馬雕車香滿路。鳳簫聲動，玉壺光轉，一夜魚龍舞。蛾兒雪柳黃金縷，笑語盈盈暗香去。眾裡尋他千百度，驀然回首，那人卻在，燈火闌珊處。
About the author:
Dr. Patrick Lau was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to the U.S. after high school. He retired from the VA Northern Indiana Heath Care System where he served as Chief Radiologist and moved to Florida with his wife in 2011. He was an active member & contributor of IACA and ICMA while in Indiana. Dr. Lau is also a scholar of art and literature and a prolific writer, he has been a dedicated columnist for Indy Asian American Times since 2010.