China marks traditional Lantern Festival
CHINA: China on Sunday celebrated the traditional Lantern Festival
with fireworks and food, as millions of migrant workers flowed back to
cities and smog blanketed a large part of the country. The Lantern
Festival formally marks the end of celebrations for the Chinese Lunar
New Year period, 15 days after it began, and is celebrated by viewing
lanterns and setting off fireworks, among other activities.
The Ministry of Railways estimated around 6.4 million people would
make trains journeys on Sunday.
Many of China’s migrant workers living in rural areas delay their
return to their workplaces beyond the official public holiday, which
lasts only a week.
Air pollution in the Chinese capital of Beijing spiked higher on
Sunday as more traffic and firework blasts caused smog, China Central
Television reported, as local officials urged people to limit the amount
of fireworks they set off.
The government issued a smog alert on Sunday for central and eastern
parts of China, the official Xinhua news agency said. Heavy air
pollution in recent weeks has been blamed on coal-burning and auto
exhaust emissions.
In China’s commercial hub of Shanghai, worshippers thronged the
Jing’an Buddhist Temple, burning incense and tossing coins into a giant
urn to make wishes for the coming year.
Shoppers snapped up dumplings made from glutinous rice with sweet or
savoury fillings, called “tang yuan”, traditionally eaten on the
holiday.
Outside Beijing in Yuxian, a rural part of Hebei province, residents
marked the festival by holding a parade with a dragon dance and
releasing red paper lanterns like small hot-air balloons into the sky.
AFP |