Lantern Festival Celebrations (March 3, 2026).

Across the country, citizens are celebrating the Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao Jie), which falls on March 3 this year. This festival marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) period. Streets in major cities like Nanjing and Shanghai are currently lined with iconic red lanterns. Families gather to eat tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls), which symbolize wholeness and reunion. Large-scale lantern fairs, such as the Qinhuai International Lantern Festival, are drawing millions of locals to solve lantern riddles and watch traditional lion and dragon dances.

©YovaniBernard