Wishes to Write on a Chinese New Year Lantern

Chinese New Year includes two weeks of celebration with most activities taking place on just three days: New Years Eve, New Years Day, and Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of Chinese New Year. Heres what you should know about the Lantern Festival, including the symbolism of the celebration and which characters to write on your own lantern to wish in Chinese. What Is the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival? Every year, on the last day of Chinese New Year, families from Taiwan to China place colorful lanterns outside their homes and launch them into the night sky. Each lantern corresponds to a particular wish the family has for the new year, with the colors  having various meanings. For example, sending off a red lantern represents a wish for good fortune, while orange symbolizes money and white symbolizes good health. There are many stories about why this festival takes places. For example, in one of the origin legends, Emperor Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite China, held the first Lantern Festival to ask Taiyi, the ancient god of heaven, for health and good weather. In another of these legends, which is rooted in Taoism, the Lantern Festival was first put on to celebrate the birthday of Tianguan, the god of good fortune. Other explanations center around the Jade Emperor, and a maid named Yuan Xiao. Wish in Chinese: What to Write on Your Lantern The festival has changed a lot over the years. Simple handheld paper lanterns have been replaced with elaborate  colorful lanterns of all shapes and sizes. But the tradition of sending wishes to be granted into the sky has remained. Many revelers enjoy writing riddles or wishes on the lanterns before sending them airborne. Here are some examples of what you may want to write on your own lantern, include the Chinese symbols and pronunciation. Onward and upward:  Ã¦ ­ ¥Ã¦ ­ ¥Ã© «ËœÃ¦Ëœâ€¡ (bà ¹ bà ¹ gÄ oshÄ“ng)Good health:  Ã¨ º «Ã© «â€Ã¥  ¥Ã¥ º · (shÄ“ntÇ  jià  nkÄ ng)All wishes come true:  Ã¥ ¿Æ'æÆ' ³Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¦Ë†  (xÄ «n xiÇŽng shà ¬ chà ©n)Be happy and carry laughter all the time:  Ã§ ¬â€˜Ã¥  £Ã¥ ¸ ¸Ã©â€"‹ (xià  o kÇ’u chà ¡ng kÄ i)Business will grow and get better:  Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¦ ¥ ­Ã¨â€™ ¸Ã¨â€™ ¸Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¤ ¸Å Ã©â€"‹ (shà ¬yà ¨ zhÄ“ng zhÄ“ngrà ¬ shà  ngkÄ i)Everything will be lucky and go smoothly:  Ã¨  ¬Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¥ â€° (wà  nshà ¬dà  jà ­)Things will happen as you wish:  Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¦â€ž Ã£â‚¬ Ã¥ ¿Æ'æÆ' ³Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¦Ë†  (shà ¬ shà ¬ rà ºyà ¬, xÄ «n xiÇŽng shà ¬ chà ©ng)Pass an entrance exam and get enrolled in a school:  Ã©â€¡â€˜Ã¦ ¦Å"é ¡Å'Ã¥   (jÄ «nbÇŽng tà ­mà ­ng)Harmonious family and prosperous life:  Ã¥ ® ¶Ã¥â€™Å'è  ¬Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¨Ë†Ë† (jiÄ  hà © wà  nshà ¬ xÄ «ng)Work smoothly:  Ã¥ · ¥Ã¤ ½Å"é  â€ Ã¥Ë† © (gÃ… ngzuà ² shà ¹nlà ¬)Quickly find Mr. Right:  Ã¦â€" ©Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¦â€° ¾Ã¥Ë† °Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¦â€ž Ã©Æ'Žå â€º (zÇŽorà ¬ zhÇŽodà  o rà ºyà ¬ là ¡ng jÃ… «n)Make a fortune:  Ã¨ ³ ºÃ©Å' ¢Ã§â„¢ ¼Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¨ ² ¡ (zhuà  nqià ¡n fÄ  dà   cà ¡i) Whatever your wish, Chinese New Year can be a wonderful opportunity to set the tone for the year ahead.