元宵节

And today marks the end of the celebrations of the lunar new year. Don't know why, but I am feeling pretty down that the celebrations are coming to an end. Maybe because there is no more public holidays until April 22 which is more than 2 months away and there is no motivation at work. Maybe it because the end of the CNY celebrations means that I have to start intensively preparing for my wedding in May. Maybe because this year is the last year I will be having reunion dinner at my parents place on the eve of CNY.. Maybe its a combination of all this factors and more? I'll stop my nonsensical whining here before you guys, whoever you are, starts boycotting my blog because of my incessant whining and complaints.

I was googling Yuan Xiao Jie online and found out that 元宵节 is also known as Lantern Festival. In all my 20+ years, I have always thought that Lantern festival is the Mid Autumn Festival where we eat mooncakes, drink chinese tea, light lanterns and play with candles. Apparently, during 元宵节 children also carry paper lanterns and try to solve riddles on the lanterns. Instead of eating mooncakes, on this day, glutinous rice balls (元宵 or more commonly known as 汤圆)are eaten. Families also gather together on this day and enjoy a family reunion. One thing I got right all these years is that 元宵节 is also known as the chinese valentines day.

For more information on 元宵节, read here.