Celebrating traditional Lantern Festival

Eating 'yuanxiao'

"Yuanxiao," a kind of round rice dumplings, are a must-have food on the Lantern Festival. The evening of this festival sees the first full moon of the Chinese New Year, so people eat this treat to express hope for frequent family reunions and that everything will turn out as they wish. 

Yuanxiao is the name commonly used for this foodstuff in the north of China, while in the south, they are called "tangyuan," both of which feature the pronunciation "yuan," meaning reunion.