What to do during the Lantern Festival in the south? Do you know this Lantern Festival custom?

The Lantern Festival is here. In different places, the food and activities during the Lantern Festival are different. So, what do people in the southern region do during the Lantern Festival? Let’s find out together.

Customs of the Lantern Festival in the South

Lanterns from my mother's home

In Fujian, there is a custom of sending lanterns to the bride's parents' home during the Lantern Festival. A pair of white hibiscus lanterns are given to a newly married girl, while a red and a white lantern are given to a married woman who has given birth to a boy. Both of these symbolize "adding a child to the family." Especially for married girls who have not given birth to a boy, their parents’ home often send a Guanyin fertility lantern on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Wear lamp feet

In some places in southern Fujian, there is a custom of "wearing lantern feet" during the Lantern Festival. That is to say, on the night of the Lantern Festival, the newly married bride and the young wife who gave birth to a boy in the village must wear red and green, be dressed up, and, accompanied by their mother-in-law or other old women, hold lucky charms in their hands, say auspicious words, and walk under the lantern shed of the Ancestor Hall to show off their style. The purpose of doing this is to introduce the new daughter-in-law to the ancestors and the villagers. As for the young wife who has given birth to a boy, she also passes the lamp foot to comfort the ancestors.

Drinking soup

In Changde, Hunan, on the Lantern Festival, the host will use pepper as soup and add leeks and fruits to entertain guests. In Xintian County, there is a custom of burning the dragon lantern after parading it, which is called "sending away disasters."