More images taken on our visit to Leshan, Sichuan Province, China to see the largest Buddha in the world Dafo. The walk through the gardens surrounding the temple and Dafo is so beautiful and peaceful, you can gain inspiration, gather your thoughts, be in ‘The Moment’ and really feel ‘Life’.
I Hope you are enjoying this walk with me?
Namaste
Mark
Walking through the gardens surrounding the Dafo Buddha and the Temple, we came across a Happy Buddha π
A beautiful walk, so quiet, so peaceful π
Namaste
Mark
Stunningly beautiful carvings are everywhere as you walk through the vast gardens which surround the temples and Dafo Buddha. 
A place to sit, to close your eyes, listen to the birds singing in the trees, to feel the wind on your face, relax and be mindful π Namaste Mark
Β
Hello Everyone,
I’m going to take you on a pictorial journey of Leshan to see The Giant Buddha of Leshan also known as
ζ¨ε±±ε€§δ½, βDafoβ which means Big Buddha, Dafo is the tallest stone Buddha statue in the world, and by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. carved out of a cliff face by an 8th-century monk during the Tang Dynasty (618β907AD) in southern Sichuan province. The Giant Buddha overlooks the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers which flow below his feet and faces the sacred Mount Emei (with which it shares its World Heritage status).
I will share with you many images during the next few days which I hope will enable you to enjoy the beauty and serenity that this very special and spiritual place has to offer.
I do hope you enjoy the journey with me!
Namaste
Mark
The sounds of flowing water connects us to the circle of nature and reminds us that nothing stops still in life and that change is a natural part of our lives. The soothing sound of flowing water blocks out other harsh noises and helps us deal with our own mental chatter.
The peaceful sounds of flowing water can help us calm our mind and release tension from our bodies. It can also improve our general mental and physical health. Water droplets produce beneficial negative ions, so, if we are close to flowing water we will inhale these negative ions which are then absorbed into our bloodstream. Negative ions are known to improve our wel-being, and our physical and mental capacity by accelerating the delivery of oxygen to our cells. That is why we can feel so refreshed and invigorated after a spring storm or by standing next to a waterfall.
Using Flowing water whilst meditating.
Try this meditation if you have been stuck inside your office or place of work for a long period of time or where the air is not particularly fresh or healthy.
If you have any flowing water nearby then sit on a cushion or chair near it or us a miniature water fountain.
Namaste
Mark
The cloud does not insistΒ upon its form,
The wave does not force its way over the ocean,
So why should you clutch so tightlyβ¨Β Your little map?
Follow your heart
β¨And know joy in all things.
The path of freedom
β¨Has no markers,
Yet leads to fulfilment;
The path of confusion
Is crowded with signs,
β¨Pointing in all directions.
The Great Way is a humble,Β solitary path
Leading Home;
Follow it closely and be guided.
β¨How do you know you are on the way?
When your map no longer serves you!
Namaste
β¨Mark
I’m off to do a 1 hour blindfolded meditation session to raise funds for these blind and partially sighted orphans today. I’m really looking forward to meeting the children and becoming their friend π
Namaste
His Holyness The Dali Lama
When will we start to realise that we are ‘All THE SAME’ and start to respect each other as brothers and sisters, unite and be as one?
Namaste
Mark
Clarityβ¦..!
My mind is lost, itβs spinning and it seems to be out of control, and, no matter what I do to control it, it just keeps spinning!
I seem to have lost my clarity of vision, my intuition is clouded and my spiritual pathway has come across a roadblock, just like a great tree has fallen in my way.
I usually see life with such clarity, if an issue, a challenge or a problem arises I normally sit back, meditate and my clarity of vision takes control and within a short space of time I come up with the right way forward, however, right now Iβm finding it difficult to be in the βNowβ to see things for what they areβ¦and I just donβt know why!
Maybe you, my blogging friends can come up with some reasoning behind what is happening to me right now! Why am I feeling this way? βLostβ is probably the best word to state how Iβm feeling right now.
Namaste
Mark
A wonderful and enlightening take on desire by Tara Brach
βWe have been raised to fear β¦ our deepest cravings. And the fear of our deepest cravings keeps them suspect, keeps us docile and loyal and obedient, and leads us to settle forβ¦many facets of our own oppression.β β Audre Lourde
In the myth of Eden, God created the garden and dropped the tree of knowledge, with its delicious and dangerous fruits, right smack dab in the middle. He then deposited some humans close by and forbade these curious, fruit-loving creatures from taking a taste. It was a set up. Eve naturally grasped at the fruit and then was shamed and punished for having done so.
We experience this situation daily inside our own psyche. We are encouraged by our culture to keep ourselves comfortable, to be right, to possess things, to be better than others, to look good, to be admired. We are also told that we should feel ashamed of our selfishness, that we are flawed for being so self-centered, sinful when we are indulgent.
Most mainstream religions β Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian β teach that our wanting, passion, and greed cause suffering. While this certainly can be true, their blanket teachings about the dangers of desire often deepen self-hatred. We are counseled to transcend, overcome or somehow manage the hungers of our physical and emotional being. We are taught to mistrust the wildness and intensity of our natural passions, to fear being out of control.
Equating spiritual purity with elimination of desire is a common misunderstanding I also see in students on the Buddhist path. This is not just a contemporary issue. The struggle to understand the relationship between awakening and desire in the context of the Buddhist teachings has gone on since the time of the Buddha himself.
A classical Chinese Zen tale brings this to light: An old woman had supported a monk for twenty years, letting him live in a hut on her land. After all this time she figured the monk, now a man in the prime of life, must have attained some degree of enlightenment. So she decided to test him.
Rather than taking his daily meal to him herself, she asked a beautiful young girl to deliver it. She instructed the girl to embrace the monk warmly β and then to report back to her how he responded. When the girl returned, she said that the monk had simply stood stock still, as if frozen.
The old woman then headed for the monkβs hut. What was it like, she asked him, when he felt the girlβs warm body against his? With some bitterness he answered, βLike a withering tree on a rock in winter, utterly without warmth.β Furious, the old woman threw him out and burned down his hut, exclaiming, βHow could I have wasted all these years on such a fraud.β
To some the monkβs response might seem virtuous. After all, he resisted temptation, he even seemed to have pulled desire out by the roots. Still the old woman considered him a fraud. Is his way of experiencing the young girl β βlike a withering tree on a rock in winterβ β the point of spiritual practice? Instead of appreciating the girlβs youth and loveliness, instead of noting the arising of a natural sexual response and its passing away without acting on it, the monk shut down. This is not enlightenment.
I have worked with many meditation students who have gotten the message that experiencing desire is a sign of being spiritually undeveloped. While it is true that withdrawing attention from certain impulses can diminish their strength, the continued desire for simple pleasures β delicious foods, play, entertainment or sexual gratification β need not be embarrassing evidence of being trapped in lower impulses.
Those same students also assume that βspiritual peopleβ are supposed to call on inner resources as their only refuge, and so they rarely ask for comfort or help from their friends and teachers. Iβve talked with some who have been practicing spiritual disciplines for years, yet have never let themselves acknowledge that they are lonely and long for intimacy.
As the monk in the Zen tale shows, if we push away desire, we disconnect from our tenderness and we harden against life. We become like a βrock in winter.β When we reject desire, we reject the very source of our love and aliveness.
Wonderful and Enlightening π
Namaste
Mark
This excellent post is from a blogging friend of mine Rising Hawk http://risinghawkspeaks.wordpress.com
Bodhisattva Siddhartha Gautama determines that if heβs really going to attain enlightenment, the bowl will float upstream. And so it doesβ¦ He subsquently attains enlightenment that very night. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Why do I do what I do?
Why do I spend my time writing, blogging, risking being labeled as crazy, developing, devising, and suggesting methods to βattainβ something which is already present?
I often ask myself this question. The entire premise seems ridiculous when viewed as I just described it. I donβt get paid, Iβm not famous, and I have no scheduled appearances on any of Oprahβs programs, or tours with Wayne Dyer. And, βWhat is he talking about,β you may ask.
Itβs one word. The term most often kicked around is βenlightenment.β
This word conjures up images of half-naked sages in mountain caves, or wise ones in flowing robes, and a whole litany of other associated notions. Just for the record, the outward appearance and the actual state itself are not related β at all.
If you come across a half-naked sage throwing dust on his head, or a man or woman in a saffron-colored robe with a bald head, or a person in some other form of βpriestlyβ attire, or a very spiritual title, you are looking at an advertisement.
I do not mean that to be taken in the negative connotation of capitalist commercialism, (though that may sometimes be the case). What I mean is that these people are outwardly presenting the fact that they have a story to tell β specifically, about how they βdiscoveredβ what was never missing, how it changed their experience of life in a positive way, and maybe how what they learned could help you, too.
Personally, I find myself less and less interested in the idea of βenlightenmentβ when it comes to sharing and teaching. I AM enlightenedβ¦and so are you. The very moment that we take the position of wishing to attain the state, we βloseβ it: You get caught in the trap of looking for something that isnβt missing. But there is a challenge. Although you are enlightened, that fact may very well be hidden from you by that master of illusion β your brain.
This is what ALL of the teachings about βenlightenment,β or finding true and lasting deep peace, or being the embodiment of compassion and so forth, are designed to address. We need a method of βgetting aroundβ our brain and selfish egos β and they play AMAZING defense.
You see, if you arenβt worried about anything, and have no expectations, no fear of death or rejection, and move through life without a care β totally at peace with the ebb and flow of existence β well, your ego does not like that at all.
I can recall when I first realized a glimpse of this state. The very first, (and immediate), words that arose in my mind were, βI have to re-think everything about my life now!β And that was quickly followed by a panicked, βYou canβt do this!β
What is your brain going to do if you arenβt worrying? What will your mind do if you arenβt thinking everything to death? How can you relate to anyone or anything if the precious βidentityβ that you have worked so hard to build is no longer valid? What happens when you βdieβ to self, (as Jesus, Buddha, and practically every other spiritual master has taught us we must do in order to see God)?Β I have the answer to those questions: NOTHING changes except your perspective. In that instant, all of your interactions are filled withβ¦peaceβ¦and Divine loveβ¦and compassion.
So, there are times that I write about methods that can assist you in getting around the brainβs stubborn and relentless defense. I certainly do not do so for fame, or for recognition, (good thing, or I would be sorely disappointed)! I do it in an effort to end the mental suffering and anguish that so many put themselves through every day. And your realization of that dynamic peace will spread like wildfire into every nook and cranny of your existence; even more wonderfully, into the existence of those around you.
Understand, there is nothing to attain β but that βnothingβ is hidden from many. Reflect upon this when you have a chance β it may bear you much precious fruit.
Keep Soaring,
Rising Hawk
And Who Am I to Argue !
Spend some quality time alone this weekend, relax your mind, de-stress, feel the life blood and Qi energy flowing throughout your body, concentrate on your breathing and be at peace with the world π
Namaste
Mark
Itβs the end of yet another day, a productive and happy day but as I sit here quietly contemplating I can feel tears rolling down my face one more time, tears of sadness and despair so I sit and wonder if my spiritual journey is becoming too much for me to bareβ¦.I ask myself βWhy me, Why Nowβ, βWhat do I have to do?β¦..
Our spiritual journeys are all very different and our aims, needs and destinations are all very different too! In my case, I have no idea as to why I have been chosen to follow a spiritual journey; but all I know is, I must follow the path and help as many people as I can along the way.
My days and nights are often full of sadness, trying to juggle family life, business life, friendships and relationships at home and abroad whilst also trying to follow a spiritual pathway to an end we often still donβt understand. I have always been a soft hearted man, easy going as many might say, always putting the needs of friends, employees and business relationships before thinking of; or, caring for myself, never putting anyone down, smiling as often as possible and trying to keep a cheerful, sunny, caring disposition as much as possible, and certainly not intentionally doing anything to hurt or harm anyone or anything as I go. However, what I donβt understand is βwhy do our friends treat us differently as we grow spiritually? Itβs like they no longer trust us, or think were doing something underhand, untoward or against them! They become distant and off-hand with us for no reason! Maybe its just me overthinking things too much or maybe itβs their lack of understanding or nervousness of where we may be headedβ¦I honestly donβt know why they change, but I do know itβs upsetting and it breaks my heart! When we honestly ask ourselves which person or people in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those friends who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our journey, help us through the spiritual growing pains we are going through and touch our battle wounds with a gentle and tender supporting hand. The friendβs who we care for dearly who can be silent when the time is right and also offer words of wisdom and support to us in our moments of frustration, despair, lack of energy or general spiritual confusion, friends who can stay with us in our hours of need, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is in my opinion a friend who cares.
I still donβt know where Iβm heading but I know Iβm on the right pathway, I keep checking my direction at each and every kink and curve in the road, and look for clarity along the way. I donβt possess to be anything special, Iβm just a simple man who needs to follow his destiny and love and help people along the way.
So my dear friends please, please be open and honest with each other because friendship is precious and love is needed by all, not just the few!
Namaste
Mark
On March 20thΒ 2013 we celebrate ‘International Day of Happiness’.
Most of us believe that it is external circumstances that decide whether we can be happy or unhappy in life. But psychologists all over the world have discovered one of the greatest discoveries in this century: ……it is all in the mind.
Our happiness depends on what kind of thoughts we are thinking and how we are reacting to the external stimuli that keep on pouring into our lives.
From the beginning of time people have been continually trying to change the external things, the amenities, comforts and luxuries of life that they believe will make them happy. They search for a happiness that will remain with them, a happiness to which they can cling.
But humanity has yet to achieve lasting happiness. In spite of possessing everything we desire, and attempting to control everything, most people remain in a state of frustration, in a state of frictional stress. A kind of negativity grips us and we become more and more restless inside, and it envelops the whole mind.
As a result, the mind sees the external world and chooses vibrations that bring more restlessness to the mind. It is like we are seeing the world with the wrong prescription in our glasses. The world appears crooked, bent, and disfigured when our vision is out of focus. However, if we correct the prescription in our glasses, if we change the way we view the world, then our vision is completely transformed and we see a beautiful world of love, peace and harmony. The world has not changed, the world has remained the same, but we, the seer, view the world in a very different light because now our βglassesβ are set right.
This is the whole process of correcting our inner mode of seeing the outside world. Thatβs very important. We have to gradually change our inner self if we want to see the beautiful world outside of us because basically we are mirroring from inside out.
We all get caught up in worrying about the small things in life. Anything that is a little inconvenient can put us out of balance. We become intolerant, we anger very easily, and all the negative emotions possess us so easily. Why do you think this happens? Itβs completely attitudinal.
Nobody can make us unhappy unless we resolve to be unhappy. No outside circumstances, no situation can make us unhappy unless we agree to become unhappy, unless we sign the contract to be unhappy.
There is a contract to be unhappy. There is an offer and there is an acceptance. Then it becomes a contract. Somebody may make us an offer, but if we reject it, there is no contract. It is up to us if we react to any external, negative situation. Until we sign, there is no contract. It cannot bind us. We are free. We need to be certain that we understand the terms of the agreement. Take the time to be sure. Donβt sign until you know that what you are agreeing to will manifest the happiness of your spirit, and not a material, transient binding to so-called happiness. Sign only when you sign with full awareness that you are signing aΒ contract to be happyΒ , knowing that you are truly acting on your own behalf, on behalf of your spirit.
Deeply contemplate the above. Realize the truth in it. Understanding is important. Understanding that triumphs over conflict and confusion is paramount. You can give up any deep-seated resentment or negative clinging of the mind the instant you understand that the time to correct the situation is here and now. Resolve to give up brooding over any negative contracts of the past and….. Relax.
You have signed a new contract to be truly happy.
Attitudes can be changed.Β Once we change these attitudes toward life, once we change the vision in our glasses, our whole world changes. When this happens we donβt jump out to change the world, we donβt quarrel with the person who is not being right with us, we do not try to fix everyone else in this world, we do not try to take care of the external things, but we come deep down within ourselves to make the inner correction to the glasses that we wear to perceive the world. We make a mindful and conscious decision to sign acontract to be happy
! It is time for true celebration. Celebrate with the Universe in its unending dance of life and be happy!
Namaste
Mark
If Only!
If only we could all open our eyes and see the wonders that Mother Nature lays out for us each and every day!
Infinite beauty is everywhere, in the first light of day, the wind through the trees, flowers in bloom, the sweet scent of a rose, song birds calling out, insects chattering, rivers meandering quietly through the countryside, ocean waves breaking on the shoreline, children laughing as they play in the yard or on the street side, senior citizens chatting as they pass the time of day, the quietness of a smile that makes your day as its passed to you by a stranger on the street to the quietness of the closing of the day, the clouds, the stars….What a wonderful world…
Let’s Open our Eyes and Live π
I would like to dedicate this post to my mum on Mother’s Day, her beauty and wisdom will ‘Always’ be with me..RIP with the Angels..with Love Mark
Namaste with Love
Mark
One day mankind will come to it’s senses and realise were all in this together!
I just hope it won’t be too late!
If each and everyone of us stood up and said THIS IS WRONG…then things will change!
Namaste with Love
Mark
Where have you been? Iβve been looking for you all my life and I didnβt even know it!
The familiar soul you meet one day you swear you know from somewhere but never met in this lifetime. It has probably happened many times during your life, this soul deja vu. You meet someone who resonates with your very heart and you wonder how the Universe helped you walk right into each otherβs life.
In this age of rapidly accelerating energy and evolutionary ascension, we are experiencing this soul recognition more frequently than ever before. Many of us are finding our soul families online. The world becomes a different place as we understand that we have to take more responsibility for our personal environment.
Many of us have been on the quest of surrounding ourselves with βlightβ minded people. It has become so much easier for us to explore and communicate with each other. It gives reason and a higher meaning to the technology explosion we have had to adjust to in just the last few years. It becomes obvious that without it, we could never have come together spiritually in such a remarkable way.
Your soul family can be more than just other people who think like you do. They could have incarnated with you through different lifetimes throughout the history of the Earth and beyond. They are your cosmic sisters and brothers from the Other Side. You may have once lived in a colony together and made a pact to find each other in this or that life. Depending on your life choices and ability to listen to the signs and messages, you may realize this phenomenon several times. You will feel instant recognition and understand many things in common between you. You know what the other is thinking without saying a word. You have the same spiritual beliefs and questions. You feel energy between you that is on another level. You know this person was truly in your life chart to assist you and you them. You can also possess a very strong psychic bond and share healing energy that is very advanced.
Have you ever felt the family you were born into comes from another planet? Your ideas and personalities may clash in such a manner you wonder if we all really do choose our blood family before we incarnate. You may feel that you never belonged with or been understood by the very people who gave you physical life and most of the immediate family around them.
Consider (remember) that this dynamic may have been exactly what you needed to raise your vibrational energy field by completing your soul theme challenges in this life.
The control dramas and life scenarios played out between you, no matter how absurd, have assisted in the soul growth you needed to spiritually evolve. We all eventually come to realize holding on to these painfully difficult family situations hold us back from completing our life themes and healing the past.
It may be absolutely necessary to remove yourself physically from this kind of constant negativity to heal emotionally and spiritually. You can still forgive and move on without having to ever be in the same space again. Some of the loveliest people on Earth have been raised in cruel and heartless circumstances. They somehow know that they are on a higher vibration and they keep moving forward to a higher purpose. You can always free yourself to recognize your true soul family! It is genuinely possible to find peace and harmony within that helps your purpose shine with others.
Millions of people who are thinking the same thoughts, getting the same messages, and awakening the new era have started sharing and creating miracles together in a very short time. Collectively we understand each other. Members of your βsoul familyβ will weave their way throughout your lifetime. Your level of awareness, combined with theirs, can spark miracles of recognition, healing, and fantastic events!
Where have you been?
This article was written by Judi Lynch http://www.judilynch.com
Namaste
Mark
Negativity is viral. It spreads quickly, as it is infectious. Stay with a negative person for a while and you will be infected, from out of nowhere your mind will fall into a negative, downward spiral! You know very well that in your family, or in your work place, you are surrounded by umpteen numbers of the carrier of this deadly disease. Negativity is the root cause of diseases.
We need to discuss various ways and means to take care of this root disease of all illnesses of mind and body.
Let us not forget that the breeding ground of all mind-body diseases start with our thoughts. Is there anything that can be prescribed to rid ourselves of this most potent negative virus? Are there any home remedies we can use to fight off our negative thoughts?
Just as when you feel so healthy and happy when you drink pure water, you can also gift yourself the joy of drinking the positive thoughts of your mind that will eventually purify the water of your body. That is what you are, water and space! Your thoughts purify water and your thoughts purify space!!!!
It is so surprising that we are so careful that we donβt ever compromise on the quality of drinking water. We have the best purifiers and always make sure we drink pure water, uncontaminated by any poisonous chemicals.
But how come we poison the water of our body (approximately 70% of it is water) with poisonous chemicals and disease producing hormones, and suffer with all kinds of dis-ease! Let us not forget that our negative thoughts or attitude about life are more poisonous than anything else. You are not only inhaling polluted air, but are poisoning the water of your body with negative thoughts.
With positive thoughts, the water of your body can become purified, and lead you to health, both in body and in mind.
But this process of self-purification can be very difficult. Most people today are surrounded by and bombarded with all kinds of negative environments at home and in the work place! That is the reason I am trying to share with you all that until we focus FIRST on changing the INNER ENVIRONMENT, the outer environmental support will not come to us.
As you know, negativity is destructive. It destroys much of your natural tendencies to stand firm for higher goals of life. It sucks your energy from inside, and your self-esteem or your self-confidence is afflicted with this negative force. It robs your good qualities and divine potentials.
Your goal is to take charge of your thoughts, not othersβ thoughts, and let them flow, not succumbing to the pull of the instinctive lower mind. Lift your thoughts with your own mind. For your mind can be heaven or it can be hell, either of which are your own creation.
Intensify your conviction that you alone can change the thoughts of your mind. Deeply realize that every thought creates an outcome according to its own nature.
In my book, Making Your Mind Your Best Friend, you are taught to befriend your own mind. Basically the idea is that through meditative practices you begin to learn to anchor yourself with the Spirit within.
Identify the areas that trigger your negativity. Identify the persons who push you into negative brooding. From now on try to evoke your positive energy. Always think well about those persons and try to be more conscious and alert when you face situations that trigger your negative impulses. You have to gradually lighten up the areas that suffer with lesser light.
The whole process is one of your awakening the self-management part in your mind, which unfortunately no universities in the world care to teach. The more you become aware of your strengths, and at the same time your weaknesses, the more it is possible for you to reinforce your strengths and work vigilantly to transform your weaknesses into strengths of your character.
The whole universe is continually supporting you if only you accept, acknowledge, and arise to the situations that demand your Mindfulness.
Keep working throughout the day, and when you retire to bed and are about to fall asleep, sit erect, relax your body, and focus your mind on your breathing. Feel a sense of calm descending upon your being and at that point of time impregnate into your subconscious mind positive affirmations about how good your life can be. When your mind is calm and your body is relaxed, the gateway to universal intelligence opens up. Then whatever you commune reaches to the subtler regions of your own being. Your transformation is assured. Youβre on your way to freedom!
If you vigilantly work on your thoughts, and make sure that they are not like a stagnant pool, but like a flowing crystalline creek, then you can be sure that your thoughts will flow with the rhythm of the Universal Laws. From Laws of attraction, to laws of forgiveness, to laws of acceptance, and to laws of transcendence you will flow. Your positive thoughts will purify your mind, and your body, and the water and space within. You have truly begun to heal yourself from the inside-out and to immunize yourself against the virus of negativity!
By Baba Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari
I truly hope you enjoyed this article and start to or continue to ‘Think Positive Thoughts’ from today onward!
Namaste with Love
Mark
The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month according to the Chinese Nongli Calendar, usually in February or March in the Western Gregorian calendar, in 2013 this falls on February 24th. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance.
This day’s important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha’s body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China.
Till today, the lantern festival is still held each year around the country. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children will hold self-made or bought lanterns to stroll with on the streets, extremely excited.
“Guessing lantern riddles”is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. The activity emerged during people’s enjoyment of lanterns in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.
People will eat yuanxiao, or rice dumplings, on this day, so it is also called the “Yuanxiao Festival.”Yuanxiao also has another name, tangyuan. It is small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour with rose petals, sesame, bean paste, jujube paste, walnut meat, dried fruit, sugar and edible oil as filling. Tangyuan can be boiled, fried or steamed. It tastes sweet and delicious. What’s more, tangyuan in Chinese has a similar pronunciation with “tuanyuanβ, meaning reunion. So people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family.
In the daytime of the Festival, performances such as a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, a yangge dance, walking on stilts and beating drums while dancing will be staged. On the night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks form a beautiful scene. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when the first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.
Endless Light and Love 