1. By: Alex, Jason, and Jake

2.  Hunter killed a sacred bird from heaven  God wanted revenge by burning human realm  His kind daughter went and warned the humans  Smart elderly human devised plan  Candles and fireworks 14 th to 16 th day to trick God  God looked at human world and saw explosions!  Successfully tricked God; humans still alive  Celebrate the day by lighting lanterns on 15 th day

3.  Ends the 15 day celebration of Chinese New Year  Night of the first full moon of the Lunar New Year  Family Unity is a central part of the Chinese New Year  汤圆 symbolizes this unity  Also represents the full moon with its shape  Main attraction is the lanterns  12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, heroic figures, or riddles (more recently)  Can make dragons, butterflies, birds and dragonflies  Some cities make large lanterns out of ice!  People carry the lanterns down the street, but may also be hanging

4.  To Cultivate positive relationship between people, families, nature and the higher beings they believed were responsible for bringing/returning the light each year.  The emperor would ask Taiyi (The God of the Heaven) to bring favorable weather for cultivation and good health to him and his people by the festival.

5.  Tang Yuan  Glutinous rice flour mixed with water to form balls  Cooked and served in boiling water  Unfilled or filled (meat, sesame paste, veggies, fish)  Derived from the word 团圆 tuán ​ yuán ​ : to have a reunion tuán yuán

6.  Lion/Dragon Dancing  Chinese use Lion and Dragon dancers as a symbol of auspiciousness to mark key dates such as Chinese New Year  The lion and dragon dances: Chase away negative energies, scare away evil spirits, and bring in auspiciousness as a symbol of strength and good luck