1. Lanterns can be made in many different shapes. How many shapes do you know?

2. How many versions of sticky rice balls are there?

3. Can you solve this riddle? “The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?”

M at Hello again. Today I've got some questions about another traditional Chinese festival. We're talking about Lantern Festival. So my first question is this: in Spring Festival, I see lots of red lanterns everywhere. People hang red lanterns in their homes and in the streets. So, is Lantern Festival … is it the same as Spring Festival, or is it part of Spring Festival?

J ocelyn No, it's related to New Year, but it's different. It's actually part of the Spring Festival. Lantern Festival comes on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, and remember that's the lunar calendar—not the Western solar calendar. So, according to the Western calendar, it's on a different date each year. So it comes around two weeks after the main New Year celebrations. So on the Western calendar, Lantern Festival is usually in February or early March.

M at Alright, that's easy. So, we know when this festival is celebrated, but what's the story behind it? What's the history? Is it just part of Chinese New Year, or does it have a different story—a separate history?

J ocelyn Well, Lantern Festival dates back over 2,000 years to the Western Han Dynasty. And actually, there are some different historical accounts and some different opinions about the origin of Lantern Festival.

In one popular story, Emperor Wen went into town after Chinese New Year and mixed with the common local people. And he encouraged them to hang lanterns as a sign of peace and prosperity.

In another legend, the festival comes from a time when monks in the temple made lanterns on the 15th day of the New Year.

So actually, there are so many stories and legends about the origin of the festival, and because it's so old—over 2,000 years old—we can't be sure which one is actually true.

M at OK then—so we have some different stories behind the origin of Lantern Festival. My next question is about the customs, traditions , and rituals . So, what do people usually do during or on Lantern Festival?

J ocelyn Traditionally, during Lantern Festival, people liked to make lanterns. Children made red lanterns in the shape of animals, like dragons or birds; these days, maybe fruits, even aeroplanes. These lanterns were usually made from pieces of bamboo and also red paper.

Nowadays, some people still make lanterns at home, but a lot of people buy ready-made lanterns. In the days around Lantern Festival, it's easy to buy lanterns in the street or in shops. These lanterns are quite fancy, and they have beautiful designs, and they even have battery-powered lamps inside.

So, it's quite common to see children walking around with lanterns at this time of the year.

M at I think you can probably guess my next question. We are talking about a traditional Chinese festival, so I'm sure there must be some special food that you eat at this time of year or on this particular day.

J ocelyn Yes, of course, you're right. Every Chinese festival has some important food connection.

During Lantern Festival, we eat a kind of rice ball. It's called tang yuan in Southern China or yuan xiao in Northern China. It's a ball made of sticky rice, and it has some kind of soft, sweet centre made from things like red bean paste , sesame paste , or even a kind of peanut butter. Actually, there are many different versions in the northern part of China, in the southern part of China, in different provinces, and even in different cities—there are differences. And they can be boiled, fried, or steamed, and each has its own special flavour. But they are quite similar in shape and taste, so most Chinese people see them as the same thing—with regional differences.

M at OK—that's interesting. So tell me, what's your favourite version of the sticky rice balls?

J ocelyn Well, my family is originally from Shanghai, but I grew up in Wuhan, centre of China. So, for me, sticky rice balls should taste very sweet, very glutinous with a chewy texture, and also have a wonderful fragrance, I guess.

M at Wow, that sounds delicious. So, other than sticky rice balls and red lanterns, what else do I need to know about Lantern Festival?

J ocelyn Well, there is something called lantern riddles. And these are the words written on lanterns, and the words ask a question, a kind of clever word puzzle. You have to guess the answer. Let me give you an example:

The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

M at The more of these you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? I've no idea. What's this?

J ocelyn I'll give you the answer—I am “footsteps.” Think about snow on the ground … the more footsteps you take, the more you walk, the more footsteps you leave in the snow—the more you leave behind.

M at Ah, I get it. That's quite clever. Ask me another one. Let's see if I can guess it.

J ocelyn OK, another one. I am a seven-letter word containing thousands of letters. What am I?

M at Wait … that doesn't make sense … you're a seven-letter word, you contain thousands of letters. How can that work? I don't understand.

J ocelyn The answer is … a postbox. There are seven letters in the word “postbox” (p-o-s-t-b-o-x), and a postbox contains thousands of letters—letters that people posted.

M at Oh, that's just too clever. Too confusing. I don't think I'm very good at these lantern riddles.

J ocelyn I think maybe you just need some more practice. So, I think that's everything we need to know about Lantern Festival.