Why does the new year celebration last fifteen days?
春節最後一天:為什麼新年要過十五天?
Colors, shapes, and the meaning behind each lantern.
滿街的燈籠:顏色、形狀與意義。
A thousand-year game played under candlelight.
猜燈謎:千年燈下遊戲。
Tangyuan — round, warm, and shared with family.
湯圓:圓圓滿滿,闔家分享。
Long ago, the Jade Emperor in heaven had a favorite swan. One day, the swan flew down to earth and was killed by hunters who did not know.
The Emperor was very angry. He planned to send a great fire down on the 15th day of the first lunar month to burn the whole village.
A wise minister had a clever idea. He told every family to light lanterns and set off firecrackers that night, so the village would look like it was already on fire from the sky. The Emperor saw the red glow, believed the village was destroyed, and called off the punishment. From that night, on the 15th day every year, people hang lanterns to remember the village that was saved by light.
傳說玉皇大帝的愛鳥被獵人誤殺,玉帝大怒,準備在正月十五降下天火懲罰人間。一位聰明的大臣建議家家戶戶在那天高掛紅燈籠、放鞭炮,讓天上看起來像已經燒紅一片。玉帝望下一看,以為人間已被焚毀,便收回天火。從此每年正月十五,大家點燈籠、慶元宵,紀念那一夜被燈火救下的村莊。