Light up your home and make Chinese lantern festival a special occasion this year.

Chinese lantern festival, or Yuanxiao, is an exciting and colorful cultural event which marks the end of Chinese New Year, occurring on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This fascinating and beautiful tradition dates back almost two thousand years, and remains a very important event in the calendar for Chinese people. In many cities in China and around the world, the Chinese lanterns festival is a spectacular public event, but it’s also a great occasion to celebrate at home with family and friends.

The event is celebrated by lighting the night sky with a myriad of colorful lanterns, complemented by the power and beauty of the bright full moon. You can decorate your deck or patio with magnificent Chinese silk and paper lanterns, in traditional flower, bird, butterfly and dragon designs. Another element of this ancient Chinese tradition is eating sticky rice balls known as Yuan Xiao or Tang Yuan.

Where to find Chinese and Asian lanterns.

It’s very easy to find authentic Chinese lanterns at Asian import stores, party decor stores, home wares suppliers, or online. You can simply follow the links from this site for a fantastic selection of lanterns in every shape, size and color you could possibly imagine.

There are two basic types of Chinese or Asian lantern; those which are designed to be illuminated by a light source like a candle or an electric bulb, and those which are intended to be used as decorations on their own. Make sure you check that you use your Chinese lanterns only in the way they are designed to be used.