On the 15th day of the first lunar month, as the first full moon of the new year rises, the Chinese people usher in the grand finale of the Spring Festival celebrations — the Lantern Festival. With a history of more than 2,000 years, this festival is also known as the Shangyuan Festival or the Festival of Lights. It not only draws a perfect end to the Spring Festival but also carries people’s best wishes for the new year.

Lights are the most distinctive symbol of the Lantern Festival. Ancient Chinese believed that lanterns could ward off evil and bring blessings. On this night, streets and alleys are decorated with colorful lanterns — palace lanterns, revolving lanterns, rabbit-shaped lanterns, all vying for beauty. The Tang Dynasty poem *“A tree of fire blooms with silver flowers; the starry bridge opens its iron locks”* captures the magnificent lantern scene of ancient times. Today, grand lantern fairs such as the dinosaur lanterns in Zigong, Sichuan, and the Qinhuai lanterns at Confucius Temple in Nanjing, continue this thousand-year splendor.

Roundness is the timeless meaning of the festival. Every household serves a bowl of plump yuanxiao (called tangyuan in southern China). Glutinous rice wrappers filled with black sesame, peanuts or red bean paste float on the water like the full moon in the sky. This sweet, glutinous taste holds the Chinese longing for reunion — a wish for a full moon, a united family, and fulfillment in everything.

Lively folk customs add to the festive atmosphere. In ancient times, young women were not allowed to go out freely on ordinary days, except on the night of the Lantern Festival, when they could go sightseeing together. The romantic encounter depicted in the line *"The moon rises above the willow tops, and lovers meet at dusk"* is unique to this night. Today, activities such as dragon and lion dances, lantern riddles, and stilt walking are still bustling, filling the festival with laughter and joy.

As the saying goes, *“The Spring Festival lasts until the 15th day.”* Only after the Lantern Festival does the Spring Festival truly end. People bid farewell to the festive atmosphere amid lights and laughter, and set out for the year’s hard work with full blessings and energy. The bright moon and countless lit houses will become the warmest memories in their hearts.

This 15th day of the first lunar month, why not cook a bowl of yuanxiao, enjoy a lantern show, and make wishes for the new year in the last warmth of the Spring Festival?