The biggest, roundest and lightest moon in 57 years for this Lantern Festival

By Anli Hung

Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year, is one of the biggest traditional Chinese festivals. It is taken place on 9th February in this year.

According to the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan, the moon on the 9th will be the biggest, roundest and lightest in 57 years. "All people in the world can see it," they said. "and it will also appear as a half lunar eclipse."

People begin to make lanterns several days before Lantern Festival. While making lanterns people usually write riddles praying to Heaven for blessings. On the eve of Lantern Festival, all the lanterns are hung up. People go outside to have a look at the lanterns, guess the riddles and light up firecrackers.

Glutinous rice ball, or Tangyuan, is the special food for Lantern Festival. Yuanxiao is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing. And the festival is named after the famous dumpling. Yuanxiao is sticky, sweet and round in shape, symbolizing family unity, completeness and happiness.