In China, the Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, and on this day, the first full moon of the year appears in the sky. So it's the time for family members to get together to eat glutinous dumplings and appreciate the lanterns.

"Huamo", a steamed snack with delicate designs. Ingredients include flour, red beans, black beans and dates.

This year the Festival falls on February 6th. Now, let's travel around the country to see how people celebrate the festival in different ways.

Delicious food is a must for Lantern Festival. In Yang Hongjuan's family in Shanxi, there's a tradition to make "Huamo", a steamed snack with delicate designs. Ingredients include flour, red beans, black beans and dates.

Often, they start in the morning by preparing the dough. After some rolling and twisting, the dough gradually achieves the right firmness.

With the help of common tools like scissors, knives, and even combs, snacks take their final shape and are sent into the steamer, before they are painted with edible colors.

As Yang Hongjuan tells us, there is no guidebook on how to make them or do the patterns, yet almost everyone in the village can make "Huamo" of their own design. Usual figures are flowers, butterflies and auspicious animals.

Zhi Jiankang, curator of Culture Museum of Wenxi County, Shanxi, said, "This cake with four dragons stands for the blessing of the Year of Dragon. There's a lotus in the middle. This one with five tigers climbing up represents the wish to be better-off in new year."

In 2008, "Huamo" was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Food and a lovely view are the key words for the lantern night. This is certainly true in Xi'an of Shaanxi Province. Hanging lanterns on the city walls has been a tradition for more than 600 years. Along with the lighted dragons that crawl around the walls, there is the dancing dragon parade.

Xi'an has been one of the most historically renowned capital cities of China's ancient dynasties like Qin, Han and Tang. Visitors can see historical re-enactments featuring such prominent figures as Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor in China, and enjoy folk arts like shadow plays.

A Xi'an resident said, "I feel national characters are getting better and better every year. It is one of the best opportunities to present traditional cultures. I come here every year."

For hundreds of years, the city of Xi'an has done the same as this time -- lighting up with lanterns and providing joyful performances.

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