Eastern Asia

The first full moon of the Lunar New Year is rising. On March 3, 2026, billions of people across East and Southeast Asia — and millions more around the world — will celebrate the Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuánxiāo Jié). It is a night when streets flood with crimson light, families […]

The lanterns are rising. The moon is full. And across China and Chinese communities worldwide, the final curtain of the Spring Festival season is about to fall on one of the most enchanting nights of the year — the Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuánxiāo Jié). Whether you are joining the celebrations […]

The smell of tangyuan simmering on the stove. Strips of red paper scattered across the kitchen table. A child’s laughter as a wonky, handmade lantern finally takes shape. This is what celebrating the Lantern Festival looks like when you bring the tradition home. In 2026, the Year of the Fire […]

The glow of ten thousand lanterns. The sweet, warm taste of glutinous rice balls. The sound of firecrackers echoing through cobblestone alleys. If you have ever wandered the streets of a Chinese city on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month, you know the Lantern Festival is not just […]

The glow of red lanterns. The sweet scent of tangyuan floating from kitchen windows. The sound of laughter as someone shouts the answer to a riddle and wins a small prize. This is the Chinese Lantern Festival — and in 2026, it falls on March 3rd, the 15th day of […]

There is something ancient and deeply human about gathering under a dark sky to release light. Across cultures and continents, lantern festivals have served as rituals of hope, remembrance, and renewal for over two thousand years. What began as a Buddhist tradition during China’s Han Dynasty has evolved into a […]

If you have ever bitten into a warm, pillowy glutinous rice ball and felt the rich black sesame filling ooze out like sweet lava, you already know why tangyuan holds a special place in Chinese food culture. If you haven’t — you are about to learn how to create that […]

You’re standing in a field at dusk. A paper lantern sits in your hands, warm and ready to fly. Someone passes you a marker. “Write a wish,” they say. And suddenly your mind goes blank. If you’ve ever frozen in that moment, you’re not alone. Choosing what to write on […]

Every year, as the first full moon rises after Chinese New Year, the night sky across East Asia transforms. Red and gold lanterns sway above narrow lanes. Children clutch paper lanterns shaped like rabbits and goldfish. Families sit around steaming bowls of sweet rice balls. The air cracks with fireworks […]