This article is about the Lantern Festival in China. For related festivals in the East Asian cultural sphere, see First Full Moon Festival.

The Lantern Festival (traditional Chinese: 元宵節; simplified Chinese: 元宵节; pinyin: Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival (traditional Chinese: 上元節; simplified Chinese: 上元节; pinyin: Shàngyuán jié) and Cap Go Meh (Chinese: 十五暝; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Cha̍p-gō͘-mê), is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar, during the full moon. Usually falling in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.^[1] As early as the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance.^[2]

During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solving riddles written on them (traditional Chinese: 猜燈謎; simplified Chinese: 猜灯谜; pinyin: cāidēngmí).^[3][4] In ancient times, lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had large, ornate ones..^[5] In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with intricate designs.^[4] For example, lanterns are now often made in the shape of animals. The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones,^[6] which they will let go of the next year. The lanterns are almost always red to symbolize good fortune.^[7]

The festival acts as an Uposatha day on the Chinese calendar.^[8][9] It should not be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is sometimes also known as the “Lantern Festival” in locations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.^[2][10] Lantern Festivals have also become popular in Western countries, such as the Water Lantern Festival held in multiple locations in the United States.^[11]

Origin

There are several beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. However, its roots trace back more than 2,000 years and is popularly linked to the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty.^[12] Emperor Ming, an advocate of Buddhism, noticed Buddhist monks would light lanterns in temples on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month. As a result, he ordered all households, temples and the imperial palace to light lanterns on that evening.^[13] From there it developed into a folk custom. Another likely origin is the celebration of “the declining darkness of winter” and community’s ability to “move about at night with human-made light,” namely, lanterns. During the Han dynasty, the festival was connected to Ti Yin, the deity of the North Star.^[1]

There is one legend that states that it was a time to worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that Taiyi controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning with Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, all the emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people.^[14][5]

Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it to be one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.

Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism. Tianguan is the Taoist deity responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment, so followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune.^[15]

Another legend associates with the Lantern Festival with an ancient warrior named Lan Moon, who led a rebellion against the tyrannical king in ancient China. He was killed in the storming of the city and the successful rebels commemorated the festival in his name.^[15]

Yet another common legend dealing with the origins of the Lantern Festival speaks of a beautiful crane that flew down to earth from heaven. After it landed on earth it was hunted and killed by some villagers. This angered the Jade Emperor in heaven because the crane was his favorite. So, he planned a storm of fire to destroy the village on the fifteenth lunisolar day. The Jade Emperor’s daughter warned the inhabitants of her father’s plan to destroy their village. The village was in turmoil because nobody knew how they could escape their imminent destruction. However, a wise man from another village suggested that every family should hang red lanterns around their houses, set up bonfires on the streets, and explode firecrackers on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth lunisolar days. This would give the village the appearance of being on fire to the Jade Emperor. On the fifteenth lunisolar day, troops sent down from heaven whose mission was to destroy the village saw that the village was already ablaze, and returned to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor. Satisfied, the Jade Emperor decided not to burn down the village. From that day on, people celebrate the anniversary on the fifteenth lunisolar day every year by carrying lanterns on the streets and exploding firecrackers and fireworks.^[16]

Another legend about the origins of Lantern Festival involves a maid named Yuan-Xiao. In the Han dynasty, Dongfang Shuo was a favorite adviser of the emperor. One winter day, he went to the garden and heard a little girl crying and getting ready to jump into a well to commit suicide. Shuo stopped her and asked why. She said she was Yuan-Xiao, a maid in the emperor’s palace and that she never had a chance to see her family since she started working there. If she could not have the chance to show her filial piety in this life, she would rather die. Shuo promised to find a way to reunite her with her family. Shuo left the palace and set up a fortune-telling stall on the street. Due to his reputation, many people asked for their fortunes to be told but everyone got the same prediction – a calamitous fire on the fifteenth lunisolar day. The rumor spread quickly.^[15]

Everyone was worried about the future so they asked Dongfang Shuo for help. Dongfang Shuo said that on the thirteenth lunisolar day, the God of Fire would send a fairy in red riding a black horse to burn down the city. When people saw the fairy they should ask for her mercy. On that day, Yuan-Xiao pretended to be the red fairy. When people asked for her help, she said that she had a copy of a decree from the God of Fire that should be taken to the emperor. After she left, people went to the palace to show the emperor the decree which stated that the capital city would burn down on the fifteenth. When the emperor asked Dongfang Shuo for advice, the latter said that the God of Fire liked to eat tangyuan (sweet dumplings). Yuan-Xiao should cook tangyuan on the fifteenth lunisolar day and the emperor should order every house to prepare tangyuan to worship the God of Fire at the same time. Also, every house in the city should hang red lantern and explode fire crackers. Lastly, everyone in the palace and people outside the city should carry their lanterns on the street to watch the lantern decorations and fireworks. The Jade Emperor would be deceived and everyone would avoid the disastrous fire.^[16]

The emperor happily followed the plan. Lanterns were everywhere in the capital city on the night of the fifteenth lunisolar day and people were walking on the street and there were noisy firecrackers. It looked as if the entire city was on fire. Yuan-Xiao’s parents went into the palace to watch the lantern decorations and were reunited with their daughter. The emperor decreed that people should do the same thing every year. Since Yuan-Xiao cooked the best tangyuan, people called the day Yuan-Xiao Festival.

For each festival celebrated, a switch in the Chinese Zodiac takes place. For example, 2022—the year of the tiger; 2023—the year of the rabbit (water rabbit); and so on.

In the early days, young people were chaperoned in the streets in hopes of finding love. Matchmakers acted busily in hopes of pairing couples. The brightest lanterns were symbolic of good luck and hope. As time has passed, the festival no longer has such implications in most of Mainland China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.^[10]

Eaten during the Lantern Festival, tangyuan ‘湯圓’ (Southern China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia) or yuanxiao ‘元宵’ (Northern China) is a glutinous rice ball typically filled with sweet red bean paste, sesame paste, or peanut butter.^[3] Tangyuan is different from yuanxiao due to different manual making and filling processes.^[17] It can be boiled, fried or steamed, each has independent taste. However, they are very similar in shape and taste, so most people do not distinguish them for convenience and consider them as the same thing.^[17] Chinese people believe that the round shape of the balls and the bowls in which they are served symbolize family togetherness, and that eating tangyuan or yuanxiao may bring the family harmony, happiness and luck in the new year.^[2][4]

6th century and afterwards

During the Sui dynasty in the sixth century, Emperor Yang invited envoys from other countries to China to see the colourful lighted lanterns and enjoy the gala performances.^[18]

By the beginning of the Tang dynasty in the seventh century, the lantern displays would last three days. The emperor also lifted the curfew, allowing the people to enjoy the festive lanterns day and night. It is not difficult to find Chinese poems which describe this happy scene.^[18]

In the Song dynasty, the festival was celebrated for five days^[12] and the activities began to spread to many of the big cities in China.

Today, displaying lanterns remains a major tradition across China on the fifteenth day of the first lunisolar month. Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, for example, holds a lantern fair each year in Culture Park. During the Lantern Festival, the park is a virtual ocean of lanterns. Many new designs attract large numbers of visitors. The most eye-catching lantern is the Dragon Pole. This is a lantern in the shape of a golden dragon, spiraling up a 38-meter-high pole, spewing fireworks from its mouth. Cities such as Hangzhou and Shanghai have adopted electric and neon lanterns, which can often be seen beside their traditional paper or wooden counterparts. Another popular activity at this festival is guessing lantern riddles,^[19] a tradition which dates back to the Song dynasty.^[20]

Lion dance (舞獅), walk on stilts (踩高蹺), riddle games (猜燈謎), dragon dances (耍龍燈) are very popular activities during the festival day and the days following.

The lantern riddle, according to Japanese scholars, became popular as early as the Northern Song dynasty (960–1126). The lantern riddles are done by a host blocking one side of the lantern and pasting riddles on the remaining three sides of the lanterns. Participants will guess the blocked side by solving the riddles, which is called “breaking/solving lantern riddles”. The theme of riddles can be drawn from classics, biographies, poetry, the various philosophers’ well-known stories and novels, proverbs, (the names of) all kinds of birds, animals, and insects, as well as flowers, grasses, vegetables, and herbs. Participants can tear off the riddle of the lantern and let the host verify their answers. Those who answer the correct answer can get a “riddle reward”, including ink, paper, writing brushes, ink slabs, fans, perfumed sachets, fruit, or eatables.^[21]

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a discussion of Announce & other genres of Voiceover…

We are pleased to offer this one-on-one opportunity with Marian Massaro, who is one of the most sought after voiceover actors today. Her brand spreads across the country, voicing national commercials, live announce, and an impressive list of Fortune 500 companies.

Join the live announcer of the NY Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, The Primetime Creative Arts Emmys, and other shows, and NY NATAS member for a discussion about live announce and all things voiceover!

You’ll learn about the exciting world of live announce. She’ll also delve into the other genres voiceover, techniques needed for each, and tips on how you can get started!

Buki Elegbede will be our guest moderator for this special event.

* * * * * * *

Speaker: Ms. Marian Massaro ~ Voiceover Actor

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Time: 6:00PM-8:30PM

Event Schedule:

6:00pm-6:30pm ~ Networking & Snacks

6:30pm-8:00pm ~ Seminar

8:00-8:30pm ~ Q & A Session

Location: NY NATAS

450 7th Avenue – Suite 808 (8th Floor)

New York, NY 10123

RSVP: membership@nyemmys.org

All are welcomed!

Speaker Marian Massaro
Marian Massaro has worked in all types of Voiceover. She currently has been lending her voice to many major award shows. She has been the live announcer of The Screen Actors Guild Awards for the past four years, the co-live announcer of The Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for the past two years, the live announcer of the NY Emmy Awards for the past 9 years, and many more. She’s voiced commercials for companies such as McDonalds and Toyota, as well as many political spots. She’s worked with affiliate TV & radio stations across the country and can be heard as the imaging voice for Jonathan Schwartz’ “The Jonathan Channel” on WNYC in New York.

In addition to being a member of NY NATAS, SAG-AFTRA, and Actors Equity, she is also a member of The Television Academy in Los Angeles, and currently serves on their Executive Committee for the Performers Peer Group.

For more info on Marian, please visit: https://marianmassaro.com/

Speaker Buki Elegbede/Guest Moderator
Buki Elegbede is an award-winning host, producer and content creator. Over the past 6 years, he has created his own production company, Once Upon A Dream, and has produced content for the likes of BRIC, ABC, CREATE TV, and Nat Geo. He has hosted docu-series, talk shows, panel shows and LIVE events.

For more info on Buki, please visit: https://www.thegetlife.tv/

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Why is this the best cause ever and why is it a great idea to support it?

Give to the Givers.

Think about this. Who looks after you and your loved ones? We call them the Givers. The people in our community that have that special gift of being able to help and change the lives of others when they are in need. They’re the teachers, social workers, nurses and caretakers that you depend on.

What happens when one of these Givers faces an incident and loses everything? Who is there for them? The Segulah Circle was created as a way to help the Givers that are most in need. With the aim of helping them so that they can get back to doing what they do best. Helping you.

A project of the LSS Chesed fund, the Segulah Circle is an ongoing commitment to provide support to our fellow community members in the spirirt of a Segulah, “an action to change ones fortune”.

Please donate and Give to the Givers
(DONATE link: https://www.lss.org/form/segulah-circle-project.html)

To learn more about the Segulah Circle, head to www.thesegulahcircle.com

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White Plains, NY, April 15, 2016 — ? Last night, a beautiful, energetic eighteen-month cancer patient, by the name of Baron Yerby, flew home to Atlanta after receiving treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City. However, this flight was quite different than others he?s taken. Instead of flying on a crowded commercial plane with the potential for immune deficiency issues, he and his parents flew on a corporate jet, belonging to NCR, a Fortune 500 Company headquartered in Atlanta. And the flight was free of charge, arranged by Corporate Angel Network, (www.corpangelnetwork.org) the only charitable organization in the United States whose sole mission is to help cancer patients access the best possible treatment for their specific type of cancer by arranging free travel in the empty seats of corporate jets. It?s also their 50,000th patient flight.

When Baron was three months old, his parents, Jonathan, a college professor, and Casey, a social worker, became concerned about an odd glow in his right eye. He was soon diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. The tumor in his right eye was huge and there were smaller tumors in the left eye. After receiving chemo in Atlanta, all seemed to be going well, but 30 new tumors suddenly appeared in Baron?s left eye. The family was told that all treatment options had been exhausted – except for one that was performed only at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. The procedure directs a high dose of chemo right to the eye tumor by going up through Baron?s groin and prevents the effects of systemic chemo. He has already lost sight in his right eye but currently the tumors have stopped growing. However, due to his age and his high risk of reoccurrence, trips to New York will go on for the foreseeable future. The Yerbys discovered Corporate Angel Network through a social media community of parents facing similar diseases. These flights greatly reduce their emotional stress and enable patients to avoid crowded, germ-laden airports and planes.

?When we first heard about Corporate Angel Network, it seemed too good to be true, but it was true,? said Jonathan Yerby. ?From the moment we got on the plane, to the moment we arrived at the hangar, the hospitality was unreal. The pilots were fantastic. This flight took away so much of our stress and it was also much easier for Baron, who tends to squirm and get feisty when we fly commercial, because he?s sitting on our laps and can?t move around. We are very grateful for the opportunity to fly with Corporate Angel Network. We felt so cared for.?

NCR, the corporation that?s providing the jet for Baron?s flight, is an Atlanta based global tech company that?s been working with Corporate Angel Network for several years. ?Giving back to communities in which we operate is interwoven in the fabric of NCR?s 132-year, rich history,? said Andrea Ledford, Executive Vice President, Chief Administration Office, and Chief Human Resources Officer for NCR. ?In keeping with our mission and shared values as a corporation, we started working with Corporate Angel Network in 2010. We are honored to be a part of this historic milestone flight and more importantly, our prayers and well wishes are with Baron and his parents.? Over 500 well-known corporations participate in Corporate Angel Network?s program, including half of the Fortune 100 and many in the Fortune 500. .

Corporate Angel Network began in 1981, when three people shared the dream of using empty seats on corporate aircraft to transport cancer patients to treatment centers nationwide. Leonard M. Greene, founder and president of Safe Flight Instrument Corporation, Priscilla H. Blum, a licensed commercial pilot, and Jay N. Weinberg, then owner of Mt. Vernon, NY Avis Car Rental franchise together developed the idea of asking corporations to accept these patients a guest passengers. On December 22, 1981, Greene, a pilot, personally flew the fist Corporate Angel Network flight, bringing a patient home to Detroit for Christmas from treatment in New York City. From that day forward, Corporate Angel Network literally soared.

?We hope that by commemorating our 50,000th flight, we can bring renewed attention to our organization,? said Executive Director Emeritus of Corporate Angel Network, Peter H. Fleiss. ?Our goal is to let cancer patients know that they have an option to travel to the best possible treatment for their specific type of cancer while at the same time, making their lives, and the lives of their families, considerably less stressful during a very difficult time. In addition, we hope to bring new corporate partners into the fold to expand our ability to help more people.? For their work, Corporate Angel Network has received numerous awards in recognition of its service to cancer patients, including the highest volunteer award from the President of the United States, The Volunteer Action Award.

Corporate Angel Network is based in White Plains, NY with a staff of 30 part-time volunteers and a paid staff of six. Together, they work with patients, physicians, corporate flight departments and leading treatment centers to arrange more than 2,500 patient flights per year. Patients must register with Corporate Angel Network within three weeks of an appointment with, or discharge from, their cancer treatment center. Corporate Angel Network will check with the physician to confirm that the patient is well enough to fly and will then begin looking for a corporate flight matching the patient?s requested travel route. To fly with Corporate Angel Network, patients must be able to walk unassisted up aircraft stairs and sit during the flight and must not be in need of oxygen, IV or onboard medical assistance. Patients may travel with an adult companion and a child may travel with two adults.

Media Contact:
Mona Finston
mfinstonpr@earthlink.net
646-692-4997646-692-4997

Since its inception in 1981, Corporate Angel Network has been matching patients needing to travel for treatment and corporate participants whose jets are already traveling the desired routes for business. Over 500 well-known corporations participate in Corporate Angel Network?s program, including half of the Fortune 100 and many in the Fortune 500 resulting in more than 225 patient flights every month. Corporate Angel Network is a 501(c) (3) with public charity status as described in the Internal Revenue Service?s IRS sections 509 (a) (1) and 170 (b) (1) (a) (vi) and is supported entirely by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations.

For more information on Corporate Angel Network go to: www.corpangelnetwork.org or call (914) 328-1313(914) 328-1313

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