The Lantern Festival, also known as Yuanxiao Festival, falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is a traditional Chinese festival that marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

People celebrate the Lantern Festival by making and eating sweet glutinous rice dumplings (yuanxiao) and lighting lanterns. The round shape of the yuanxiao symbolizes family unity, completeness, and happiness.

In ancient times, the Lantern Festival was also a time for single men and women to meet potential partners. It was customary for unmarried women to throw their embroidered handkerchiefs into a crowd of men, and whichever man caught it would be her partner. This practice is no longer widely observed, but the spirit of love and happiness still lingers in the festival.

During the Lantern Festival, people also enjoy lion and dragon dances, stilt walking, and other traditional performances. In some regions of China, people even hold boat races at night, with brightly lit boats floating on the water.

In recent years, the Lantern Festival has become a popular tourism event, with famous landmarks like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing being illuminated with colorful lanterns. Many other cities around China also hold lantern exhibitions and competitions.

Overall, the Lantern Festival is a time for families to come together, enjoy traditional Chinese customs, and share in the joy of the new year.