It’s Lantern Festival!

Hi!!! I know I missed the usual weekend post, but there’s a good reason:

But…. before getting into the cultural stuff, I’m dying to share my CNY trip experience! Last post, I mentioned how I would take a quick trip to Providence and NYC to visit my brother, experience the East Coast Winter and speak with a professor. Well, I ended up speaking to THREE professors as well as sitting in on THREE classes. One in particular showed up outside his office hours and spent over an hour answering my “probing” questions on the origins of Russian culture as well as his own opinions. As for the weather, it was WARMER than Shanghai!!!! I’m just sad that I still have to wait 5 more months to go to University.

Now, onto Lantern Festival

Lantern Festival marks the official end of 15 days of CNY celebration. 元宵 actually means “first night” ie first night of the new year. Sure lanterns are a big deal of Lantern festival, but in China, food comes first. Thus, the real meaning for me at least derives from the tasty tradition of eating glutinous rice dumpling aka 元宵… coincidence???

Beyond indulging in 元宵, Lantern Festival marks the end of all those New Years Taboos, mind boggling lantern riddles and of course- Lanterns for DAYS

Well, I hope everyone gets the chance to tune into, or at least watch reruns of, the Lantern Festival Gala (I missed the main one). If not, enjoy some delicious 元宵. For the really ambitions, here are a couple of very delicious recipes