During this time families get together to eat nianyefan, which is the mandatory New Year’s Eve meal. It consists of Jiaozi (dumplings) in the North and niangao (an indescribable sticky substance) in the South. It’s also customary for each family to eat a quanyu (whole fish) to wish for abundant a prosperous year ahead. Another interesting tradition is the giving of gifts or money by the older generation to the younger generations. This money is called yasuiqian and the Chinese people believe that the money will protect the children from the evil.

While we in the West may never have seen or heard of a quanyu or niangao, there should be no reason not to adapt this beautiful tradition to our own customs. Who’s to say you can’t substitute burger and fries, chicken drumsticks, or sticky toffee pudding for that special occasion or party? And of course the kids will certainly thank you for putting a little cash their way during a party illuminated by Chinese Paper Lanterns, whether it be in the spring or indeed any day of the year!

In Chinese philosophy, the environment as described by the five elements of earth, air, fire, metal and water, should be maintained in balance and harmony. Different types of lantern can express, and celebrate, this philosophy.

At the heart of the lantern is, of course, fire. In Feng Shui (the art of creating a positive, auspicious and lucky living or working environment), fire is considered the first and most masculine of the elements. Fire’s season is summer, the time of heat, growth, warmth, and increased light and represents fame and illumination. Although fire is considered a very yang (high energy) element in general, it can also exist in a yin (calm energy) state because in Taoism all things have both a yin and a yang expression to create balance. When fire expresses masculine yang energy, its color is red and is symbolized by burning wood. When it expresses the calmer, feminine yin, its color is purple and is symbolized by the flame of a lamp, small and contained, yet helpful – as exemplified by the lamp in a lantern.

The traits of the fire personality traits are love, passion, leadership, spirituality, insight, dynamism, assertiveness, intuition, reason, and expressiveness. A fire type succeeds by becoming warm-hearted and generous.

That warm heartedness, and compassion for the world we live in is part of our philosophy, too, and one way of expressing that is through our eco-friendly Chinese Paper Lanterns we produce.

In China, red symbolizes the soul of the nation. In the past, red stood for dignity and mystery. It is said that the color “China Red” is an eternal theme for China, and an essential color for Chinese people. Red lanterns are regarded as a basic emblem of Chinese culture. They are symbols of brightness, happiness and reunion. Both the gigantic lanterns at the Tiananmen Gate and the modest ones in a peasant’s hut express the same emotions of joy, warmth and happiness. They are also supposed to ward off evil spirits while brightening the mood with the red glow of good luck. Red lanterns are considered crucial for traditional Chinese festivals. For the Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first Chinese lunar month), the warm red of traditional lanterns creates a convivial atmosphere. Similarly at a family reunion, they light up the hope for the New Year. Lanterns, especially the red-colored ones, are said to be literally adored by Chinese people for the special element they add to the atmosphere.

Chinese Paper Lanterns of course come in a huge range of colors and designs, but it’s clear that if they have the color red in them it gives them an extra special magic.

Today’s festivities may not last as long, but marking your event in this magical, ancient way will certainly make it all the more special. You can use our lanterns for a wedding, a birthday, a graduation, or a holiday, or indeed any occasion you want to make a mark on. And what might you wish for? Many revelers, from ancient times until now enjoy writing riddles or wishes to be taken skyward. A number of popular ones include: “be happy and carry laughter all the time”, “everything will be lucky and go smoothly” and even more specific messages like “pass an exam and get enrolled in college”.

So, instead of wishing on a star, you can now write out your wishes and send them aloft on our beautiful, colorful Chinese Paper Lanterns.

Throughout the country there are many celebrations going on, from parades to concerts and fireworks celebrating these brave man and women. Initially this celebration was called Armistice Day and the “war to end all wars “ however, since WWI also known as “The Great War” wasn’t the last war the name was changed to Veterans Day. The day is meant to focus on the Veterans and their heroism to fight for what is good and protect their country.

Celebrate Veterans on this day and greet them by saying “Thank You” for all of their heroism, strength, and sacrifice to ensure our comfort and freedom today. They are the bravest of Americans and need to be respected. On this day you can release beautiful Chinese Paper Lanterns with names of Veterans in your life, both the living and fallen. It’s a great way to mark this special day and say “Thank You” in a truly spectacular way.

Lanterns for the Asian Pacific Heritage Month

Fall is now upon us and Chinese Paper Lanterns can add a special touch to all your autumn activities.  There is a chill in the air and the nights are getting darker much earlier around this time of year, which makes for perfect days and nights to partake in all your favorite fall traditions.

If you are looking for fun events to fill your days, try looking in your local newspaper or community website for ideas. You might find a Fall Festival around the corner! Take a walk through an apple orchard and pick enough apples to take home and bake an apple pie or make hot apple cider with cinnamon. Don’t forget bobbing for apples makes for a great party game! Spend some time at the local pumpkin patch until you find one that will be sure to light up your front steps. Who can make the silliest or scariest face? Pumpkin carving contests always make for a good time and you can use the left over pumpkin seeds to bake a delicious snack. For a little excitement, see how long it will take you to make your way through a windy corn maze. Once you have completed the maze, treat yourself with a yummy caramel apple.

A bonfire is the perfect way to end the night with your family. Gather around and sip hot cocoa while roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. Imagine the sight of sitting around the fire while you send off Chinese Paper Lanterns into the sky.

group that travels through all of the coastal cities in Bulgaria releasing these beautiful Lanterns, the event was scheduled to reach Burgas on the 6^th of September. This all, of course, if the winds cooperated and blew towards the sea and not the city. Many people gathered on the evening of September 6^th, however, unfortunately after a two hour wait it was determined that the winds will not change and the release was rescheduled for a later date. Many of the people that gathered left disappointed, while there were a couple that had their own lanterns and tried to release them. After 4-5 successful releases unfortunately one of the lanterns ended up getting tangled in a tree, and that was when onlookers realized why the event was cancelled. Following the safety instructions for releasing lanterns is essential.

Shortly after the cancellation of the event a new date was published on the events Facebook page. It was to be rescheduled for the 12^th of August. Again, many people gathered on the central beach in Burgas and after a slight delay they got the “GO” from the organizer who sold lanterns and announced when it was time to light and release them. Photographer Petia Emilova was able to capture this spectacular event. A Chinese Lantern is a great way to bring people together and make all their wishes as one.

Now that your summer vacation is coming to an end its time to head out with a goal to see the beautiful flowers. Take the family out and enjoy a day at the park. Have a picnic, or simply just take a stroll. It will be nice to just spend time with the family without worrying about keeping a schedule. Clear your entire day to talk about your summer vacation experiences with the family and which of them you enjoyed most.

The festival is about sun and the moon, the water and the fire, the fertility, harvest, joy and love. More than 1000 lanterns were released in the Polish sky in the beginning of the event, but later the number reached 8000. This beats the Polish record of sky release.

The organizers plant to beat the Guinness Record next year again in the shortest night of the year. Some people think that Valentine’s Day is the most romantic night, but the 21^st June outshined Valentine’s Day by all means. Thousands of couples released heart shaped lanterns and all were in awe of the magnificent sky. You can look up a video of the event online and see for yourself how indescribably beautiful the release was. It felt almost like a fairytale of some kind. The lanterns looked just like stars and they felt very real and close. People will not forget that night soon, they were sending their wishes and prayers in the sky and just dove in the moment.

Create your own magic night with some of our beautiful Chinese lanterns!