Lantern festivals

Lantern festivals are traditional celebrations involving the display and release of decorative lanterns, often marking important cultural or seasonal events. These festivals symbolize good luck, prosperity, and the dispelling of darkness or evil spirits. Participants may craft, admire, or release lanterns into the sky or on water, creating beautiful displays. Commonly associated with Asian cultures—such as China’s Lantern Festival marking the Lunar New Year—these events foster community gathering, artistic expression, and cultural heritage preservation. The act of lighting or releasing lanterns is both a visual spectacle and a meaningful tradition celebrating unity, hope, and new beginnings.