Spring Lantern Festival

The city of Hong Kong is wrapped up with diverse festivals almost the year round. The multi-colored and vivid fetes reflect the rich culture, tradition and heritage of Hong Kong. The Spring Lantern Festival, Hong Kong is one such occasion celebrated to mark the conclusion of the Chinese New Year.

This festival is popularly known as the Chinese Valentine's Day. Traditional lanterns and lamps of bright hues are lighted up in the houses, public places, shops and restaurants. Even the parks and other public buildings too are decorated with lights. A very interesting matchmaking game is played among the singles to ascertain a partner for them. This game involves the use of lanterns. The other lovers meet and spend this day together making their evening more special and romantic.

Common belief says that during Full Moon in the beginning of the New Year, evil spirits come up on the surface of the earth. Hence to safeguard themselves from such spirits, the local people dress up in various exclusive and amazing costumes and walk about the streets with lanterns in hand. This indeed offers a remarkable sight. However, some people say that it is done to show the spirits their way to the world of the dead. Other beliefs associate the Spring Lantern Festival, Hong Kong with Jade Emperor who wanted revenge on a man who had executed his treasured goose. He wanted to burn down that man's house who was but already warned by a good spirit of an oncoming danger. He was asked to light lanterns during the first full moon of the New Year. Consequently, the Emperor was under the misconception that the man's house was on fire and thus left that place.

Thus the Spring Lantern Festival, Hong Kong celebrates and imparts good fortune in the New Year. The lanterns symbolize new hopes and inspiration for the oncoming New Year. During the evening, the major celebrations take place in Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island, Central Park in Sha Tin and Ko Shan Road in Kowloon. Lighting up of fire crackers and organizing a quiz on riddles are also parts of this festival. The traditional food prepared during this occasion is called yuanxiao which refers to a kind of sweet dumpling.