Festival

[ Speakers ] [ Opening Celebration ] [ Event Dates ] [ Signature China Events ] [ Youth & Family Events ] [ Partner Events ] [ Closing Events ] [ Plan Your Visit ] [ Buy Tickets ]

Introduction 

Chinese Lantern Festivals were started in 208 BC by the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang as a peaceful unification technique for former enemies in a new country named China. The lanterns are art, history, education, curious, interesting, and fun. They come in small, medium and giant sizes.  

The Georgia Chinese Lantern Festival will be the first authentic Chinese Lantern Festival in the US. As a US first, this destination event will attract domestic and international tourist to the Southeastern United States. At least 200,000 visitors are expected for the event. The Georgia Chinese Lantern Festival will be open to the public for 75 continuous evenings on 30 acres of parkland. Georgia Chinese Festival visitors shall view 40 giant lanterns, some two stories high and 30 meters long, 250 medium sized and 2,500 small lanterns light the pathways. The lanterns and displays are being designed and built by Chinese Color Lantern Makers. It will take 80 Master Craftsman 45 days to build the sets to be displayed on land and water.    

The festival presents an unusually favorable opportunity for investment, business, service, trade, manufacturing, tourism, communication, media, transportation, agriculture, education and government to government relationships. Extraordinary beneficiaries are families, children, diplomat’s government and private, friends, lovers, historians, museums, artist, advertising, and art schools.  

This historic event will mark the culmination of attempts to bring or hold such an event since 1820 when the first Chinese were brought to America. Though Chinese in origin, the Lantern Festival is significant to the Asian community, attendance is truly rewarding to everyone.  

Activities associated with the Georgia Chinese Lantern Festival will facilitate “good luck” relationships with educational institutions, promote government to government relationships, and identify locations reflecting tourist and potential business interest for trade and investment.  

Supporting exhibitions are the Chinese Treasure Ships from the 14^th and 15^th Century that were navigated by Zheng He out of the port city of Tai Cang and the Cambridge University Press exhibition of Chinese History, Science, and Invention Contributions to Civilization.  

We invite you to join us in sponsoring this historic festival. This will be an opportunity to celebrate the diversity both in culture and business that is available throughout Georgia and to reach out to our many diverse communities throughout the Southeastern United States.  

We look forward to your participation in this spectacular event.
  

A Brief History of the Chinese Lantern Festival

The 15th day of the 1st lunar month, which is also the day of the full moon, is the traditional start of the Chinese Lantern Festival. The festival marks the end of the celebrations of the Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere. (Chinese Lantern Festival, 2009)[i]  

There are many different beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But one thing for sure is that it had something to do with celebrating and cultivating positive relationship between people, families, nature and the higher beings they believed were responsible for bringing/returning the light each year. (Chinese Lantern Festival, 2009)[ii]  

One legend tells us that it was a time to worship Taiyi, the god of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that the god of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning with Qinshihuang - the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC), the first emperor to unite China as one country, all the emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it as one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night. (Chinese Lantern Festival, 2009)[iii]  

Today, in China, the lantern festival is still held each year around the country. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children will hold self-made or bought lanterns to stroll with on the streets, extremely excited. (51edu.com, 2009)[iv]  

"Guessing lantern riddles" is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. The activity emerged during people's enjoyment of lanterns in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.  (51edu.com, 2009)[v]  

During the days of the Festival, performances such as a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, a yangge dance, walking on stilts and beating drums while dancing are normally staged. At night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks form a beautiful scene. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when the first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky. (51edu.com, 2009)[vi] 

While the Lantern Festival has changed very little over the last two millennia, technological advances have made the celebration more and more complex and visually stimulating. Indeed, the festival as celebrated in some places (such as Taipei, Taiwan) can put even the most garish American Christmas decorations to shame. They often sport unique displays of light that leave the viewer in awe. Master craftsman will construct multicolored paper lanterns in the likeness of butterflies, dragons, birds, dragonflies, and many other animals; these accentuate the more common, red, spherical lanterns. Brilliantly-lit floats and mechanically driven light displays draw the attention of the young and old alike. Sometimes, entire streets are blocked off, with lanterns mounted above and to the sides, creating a hallway of lamps. Some cities in North China even make lanterns from blocks of ice! And just as in days gone by, the billion-watt background sets the scene for dragon and lion dances, parades, and other festivities.  (bbs.5d.cn, 2009)[vii]

Copyright © 2012 US-China International Investment Association. All rights reserved.   
Revised: 05/09/12.