Lantern Festival sparks colourful celebrations - BBC News

The festival marks the end of Lunar New Year festivities - this year is Year of the Dragon.

1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsLunar New YearImage source, CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesImage caption, Performers took to the streets in Yantai, in eastern China's Shandong provinceDazzling displays of lanterns have been lighting up the skies to mark the end of Lunar New Year celebrations and hail the coming of spring.

The Lantern Festival is held two weeks after Lunar New Year, which was on 12 February this year and ushered in the Year of the Dragon.

The new year, and subsequent Lantern Festival, is typically celebrated in parts of Asia, including China, South Korea and Vietnam, as well as in diaspora communities around the world.

As well as with the traditional lighting of lanterns, this weekend's festival also saw firework displays, night markets and entertainment from dancers and performers.

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Colourful displays of lanterns have been seen across China, including here in BeijingImage source, CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesImage caption, Red sky lanterns ascend to the sky in Chongqing, ChinaImage source, VCG / Getty ImagesImage caption, A dragon dance is performed amid fireworks in China's Guizhou Province, as the Year of the Dragon celebrations come to an endImage source, China News Service / GettyImage caption, Fish lanterns are paraded in Sanming, Fujian Province, by performers and childrenImage source, ADITYA AJI / AFP / Getty ImagesImage caption, A dragon dance is performed on the last day of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia as part of the Cap Go Meh festivalImage source, WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty ImagesImage caption, A young visitor to a Lantern Festival event in Beijing carries his own lantern through a parkImage source, VCG / GettyImage caption, Performers grimace as they dance through fireworks in Guangdong Province, ChinaImage source, RITCHIE B TONGO/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockImage caption, People releasing sky lanterns in New Taipei City, Taiwan, to wish for peace, happiness and prosperityImage source, ReutersImage caption, Many places had light displays, including this park in Beijing, ChinaAll images subject to copyright

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68397159

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