The Lantern Festival 元宵节: A Night of Lights, Family, and Sweet Tangyuan ✨

[5-7 min read]
The Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuánxiāo Jié) always brings back warm childhood memories. Growing up in a Chinese Dutch household, our Chinese New Year celebrations would always involve festive meals, going to Rotterdam or The Hague Chinese New Year public celebrations, but they always felt complete when we reached the 15th day—the Lantern Festival.

Even though we didn’t have the grand lantern displays like in China or Taiwan, my family still made sure to celebrate in our own way. After dinner, my parents would make the yummy and sweet tangyuan soup for us all to feast on.

The Magic of Tangyuan

For me, the real highlight was always the food—specifically, tangyuan (汤圆). These glutinous rice balls, filled with sweet sesame, peanut, or red bean paste, are more than just a dessert. They symbolize family togetherness, as their round shape represents wholeness and unity. The round shape represents unity, wholeness and 

I can still picture my mother carefully rolling the dough while I stood on a stool beside her, trying (and failing) to make perfect spheres. My little rice balls always ended up lumpy, but she’d just laugh and say, “It's okay, the next one will be better.”

When the tangyuan were ready, she’d drop them gently into boiling water, and I’d watch as they floated to the top, bobbing up and down like tiny moons. The smell of sweet ginger syrup filled the kitchen, making my mouth water. The moment you bite into a tangyuan, the warm, gooey filling oozes out, a comforting sweetness that lingers.

Different Ways to Celebrate

While tangyuan is the most common treat, some regions enjoy a savory version with meat filling. And in the north of China, people often eat yuanxiao (元宵), which are similar but made with a different rolling technique. No matter the version, the meaning remains the same—bringing people together in the warmth of family and tradition.

In some parts of the world, the Lantern Festival is celebrated with grand lantern displays, dragon dances, and even sky lantern releases, where people write their wishes for the new year before letting them float into the night sky. Though we didn’t have these traditions in the Netherlands, our little family gatherings, lanterns, and warm bowls of tangyuan were enough to make the night special.

Bringing the Tradition Forward

Now, as I grow older, I find myself wanting to continue these traditions in my own way. Even if it’s just making tangyuan for myself or lighting a candle to symbolize the lanterns, it’s a way to stay connected to my roots.

If you’ve never tried tangyuan before, I highly recommend making or finding them! They’re not just delicious but also a little reminder that no matter how far we go, traditions have a way of bringing us back home. You can find tangyuan in Amazing Oriental, Wah Nam Hong and other Asian toko.

Do you celebrate the Lantern Festival? Or have you ever tried tangyuan? I’d love to hear your thoughts and memories! Let me know in the comments. 💛✨