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Qinhuai International Lantern Festival is the largest lantern festival in China, which is celebrated at the end of the Chinese New Year and is commemorated with an array of folk customs. The festival in Nanjing is held yearly at the Confucius Temple, which is surrounded by the famous Qinhuai River. Each year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which marks the end of the Spring Festival the Confucius Temple area is lit by a large amount of lanterns of various colors and shapes. During the festival, hordes of local people and visitors are drawn to the site and enjoy the festive ambiance by wandering about the endless colorful lanterns ocean.
The origin of the festival can be traced back to Eastern Wu, when the lanterns were hung by government officials and civilians in celebration for the triumph of the army. Later by Tang Dynasty, lantern fairs on Lantern Festival became a tradition and many professional lantern artisans opened shops along the banks of Qinhuai River. During Northern Song Dynasty, the tradition of writing riddles on lanterns was also formed. Nowadays lanterns with riddles attached for passerby to guess for a prize are still very popular during the festival. Apart from the lanterns, a lot of Nanjing folk arts and shows are added to the highlights of the festival, including paper cutting, carving, shadow puppet plays and even acrobatic shows.
Entrance fee to the Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) during the lantern festival is around 40 RMB.