The 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar marks the final day of the Chinese New Year, which is called the Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Festival). The festival has a long history of over 2,000 years since the Emperor Wen of the West Han Dynasty set the name. During the Lantern Festival, streets and alleys are decorated with lanterns and streamers, people enjoy beautiful lanterns, eat Yuanxiao, and guess Lantern riddles, which has become a custom followed by descendants. People pray for good fortune, health, peace, and the prosperity of their families for the coming year by releasing sky lanterns.

The Lantern Festival is also a romantic festival. In ancient China, young people interacted by watching the lanterns and getting to know each other through the traditional Chinese activity of guessing lantern riddles. Tangyuan(Yuanxiao) are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival, because these glutinous rice balls symbolize family togetherness, completeness, happiness, and prosperity in the coming year, as the round shape of the glutinous rice balls is like the full moon.

On this particularly special evening in the year of the fire horse, may the brilliance of lanterns fill your heart with joy and your soul with hope. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. James Chem wishes your path lit with lanterns for love, peace, health, completeness, vibrant and radiant. May your dreams fly aloft, may all of one’s aspirations reach new heights.