Chinese Lanterns

China has fabricated lampions since thousands of years now but it still remains important in the Chinese culture. Mainly used in decoration, they are always present in all sorts of celebrations: marriage, Chinese New Year, and of course The Lantern Festival, a big feast which marks the end of the new year celebrations and during which lanterns and yuanxiao are the most popular elements. Lanterns may symbolize joy, light, vitality, prosperity, success and happiness. As you’ve noticed, they represent everything positive and cheerful but there is no exact signification. If red is the main color of those items, they are also available in other bright colors such as green, yellow, pink and golden. They often paint Chinese characters on the lanterns and the production has always been totally hand-made. They used to use oiled papers to make lanterns but nowadays, synthetic fabrics are mostly used to make them last longer in time.

As far as the shapes are concerned, most are round but some are apple-shaped or have a kind of little roof at their top or just more elongated. If we want to have or just see Chinese lanterns, we do not need to go to China to find them. They can be seen in every Chinatown and some Chinese merchants hang them in front of their shops to capture people’s attention. For those who are attempted to give an Asian atmosphere to their house or their parties, they can take Chinese lampions to adorn their spaces. They can have them directly from China, from Chinese decoration stores or online.