Lantern Festival 元宵

The fifteenth day — the close of the new year period, and the festival of lights. The Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and closes the new year observances. Its name describes the practice: lanterns displayed and carried after dark.

Its date is set by the lunar month, so it moves against the solar calendar. The fifteenth day — the close of the new year period, and the festival of lights. As the closing festival of the new year period, it marks the point after which ordinary work resumes — the calendar's holidays end here, not at the new year itself.

The customary foods and the lantern displays are the two consistent elements across regions. The festival also carries the associated practice of solving riddles written on the lanterns, which is documented from an early period. It is grouped under Fire (火) in the five-element system.