Zigong Lantern Festival Introduction
The Zigong Lantern Festival is an incredibly popular event held in the Sichuan province of China, typically occurring at the end of the spring festival period in late February or early March.
The festival marks the beginning of a new lunar year and is celebrated with Chinese actives including fireworks, lion dances, concerts, and a huge parade – culminating in the spectacular illumination of the sky by the Zigong 'Sky Lanterns'.
The history of the festival dates back to the early 1900s when the county of Zigong in Sichuan province was known for its wealth of oil. The locals had a tradition of polishing and displaying the crude oil in tall lamps, which had the potential to create a beautiful lighting display in the night sky.
In the 1930s, the government declared the festival an official state holiday. Since then, it has become a major event in China and has expanded to become a festival with not only lanterns, but also traditional performances, parades and an array of fun activities.
The festivities during the Zigong Lantern Festival are centered around the lantern displays. The displays consist of different types of lanterns, from paper lanterns in the shapes of birds and animals, to colourful mylar flying lanterns. During the day, brightly coloured paper lanterns are hung up around the city, with different shapes and sizes of them, producing an almost magical atmosphere.
The highlight of the festival is the massive parade that fills the streets of Zigong with people set to 'watch the lanterns dance' – a traditional ceremony that involves the lanterns dancing along the parade route. An array of handmade lanterns are carried around the city by lion and dragon dancers who dexterously slam their lanterns in the air in order to create an impressive spectacle of light and sound.
The event is accompanied by a range of traditional activities, including a lantern making competition, an examination of 'old-style' lanterns, and an ancient lantern play during which bards sing traditional songs related to the time.
The lanterns have become symbolic of the hope, luck, and optimism of the Chinese people and at the end of the festival all will gather to set off the lanterns of the sky. As darkness falls, this breathtaking explosion of coloured lights illuminates the night sky.
The festival has become a symbol of celebration and unity for the Chinese people and the celebration has spread far and wide, with the Zigong Lantern Festival being celebrated in many other parts of Asia, including Taiwan and South Korea. In addition, the festival is gaining popularity abroad as well, with more and more people joining the festivities to experience this unforgettable Chinese tradition and take part in the fun.
