A lantern and a slip of paper
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month brings the first full moon of the new year. In 2026 the Lantern Festival falls on 3 March, and only after it is the New Year truly over.
Admiring lanterns on this night is an old custom, and by the Song dynasty the lantern markets were splendid. Xin Qiji wrote of the festival night in the Southern Song capital:
The east wind at night sets a thousand trees in bloom, and blows down stars like rain.
— Xin Qiji, "Green Jade Table: Lantern Festival"
A whole city of lights, as if every tree had flowered overnight. Lantern riddles grew up in markets like these. According to China's national intangible heritage site, hanging riddles on lanterns began in the Southern Song: Zhou Mi's Old Affairs of Wulin records people writing verses and hidden-word puzzles on silk lanterns to tease passers-by, and the name dengmi, "lantern riddle", became settled in the Ming dynasty1.
The fun of a lantern riddle lies in its twists. A character is taken apart, a line of verse is turned inside out, and the answer is both surprising and obvious once you see it. Under the lanterns, grandparents set the puzzles and children race to answer. A right guess brings laughter, a wrong one hardly matters, and that is what a reunion looks like.
Tangyuan or yuanxiao?
The festival calls for a bowl of round sweet dumplings. In the south they are tangyuan, glutinous rice dough wrapped around a filling; in the north they are yuanxiao, made by rolling the filling in rice flour until it is coated. The methods differ, but the meaning is the same: round means reunion. In the Song dynasty they were already known as "floating rounds", because they rise to the surface when cooked.
Sichuan has its own favourite: black sesame, lard and sugar mixed into a filling that flows out warm and fragrant when you bite in. Some of Chengdu's well-known tangyuan shops have been serving them for decades.
A jug of wine at the family table
The Lantern Festival dinner is usually more relaxed than New Year's Eve. The feasting is mostly done, so a few home-style Sichuan dishes, a pot of hot tangyuan and a warmed jug of wine make for a very good evening.
An occasion like this suits a spirit that does not need ceremony. Jin Qifu is our everyday bottled range, made in Mianzhu like Bainian Qifu and in the same pure-grain, solid-state strong-aroma tradition. It is right for small cups while the family chats and solves a riddle or two. When the sweet tangyuan arrive, a cup of hot tea is a fine companion too.
The moon is full and the lanterns are lit. We hope you spend this Lantern Festival with family, solve a few good riddles and enjoy a warm bowl of tangyuan. After a late night out among the lanterns, please drink in moderation and never drink and drive.
