Blog post #2
April 12, 2015
By: Maggie McKinnon
Chinese
people celebrate a lot of festivals each year. Most of these festivals take
place on important dates in the Chinese lunar calendar. Three of China’s major
festivals are China’s Lantern Festival, Baiyun Temple Fair, and Five Gods of
Wealth Temple Fair.
The
Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first Chinese
lunar calendar month and traditionally ends the Chinese New Year period. This year,
the festival landed on March 5. The traditional food for the Lantern Festival
is Yuanxiao dumplings, which are named after the lonely palace maid of long
ago. I have attached a link below with the recipe for these dumplings. Traditionally, the Lantern Festival is a day for lovers. In the past, it was often the one time that women could come out and be seen by eligible single men. There are many theories as to why this festival occurs. It is possible that it was originally meant to honor Buddha.
I'm very interested about the real reason this festival is celebrated. However, i would like to hear more about the food, specifically the Yuanxiao dumplings. They sound very interesting. I can't imagine how beautiful it would be to attend this festival!
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