Yuanxiao Festival (yuan xiao jie), takes place at the end of the Chinese New Year Celebration, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The word yuanxiao denotes the first night of the year with a full moon. On that night, streets and squares in cities and towns are festooned with lanterns of all shapes and sizes. This explains why the Yuanxiao Festival is also known as the Lantern Festival.
In ancient times, Chinese women did not have many opportunities to go out of the house. But on Yuanxiao night, young men and women would go out into the streets, look at the lanterns, solve the lantern riddles and, and enjoy a rare chance to mingle freely with one another. This gives a hint as to why it is thought of as the Chinese Valentines Day.
