Places and time
This festival is mainly celebrated in China and marks the end of Chinese New Year.
What is the Lantern Festival?
There are thousands of these objects hanging in streets, parks, and temples.
What are lanterns?
“Name one traditional mask from the Carnival of Venice.”
“Bauta / Colombina / Medico della"
Name one elegant event you can attend during the Carnival of Venice
The masquerade balls.
Which festival uses the Zodiac cycle to mark each new year?
Chinese New Year.
It takes place on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
When is the Lantern Festival celebrated?
This sweet traditional food symbolizes family unity.
What is tangyuan?
What sweet food do people traditionally eat during Chinese New Year for good luck?
Dumplings or sweet rice cakes (niangao)
This type of performance appears in BOTH celebrations: identify it and describe how each festival uses it.
Parades — Venice uses costume parades; Chinese New Year uses dragon and lion parades.
What traditional noise-making element is used in Chinese New Year to scare away Nian, the monster?
Firecrackers.
This continent is home to the countries where the Lantern Festival is celebrated.
What is Asia?
“In Chinese New Year, what color is considered lucky and why?”
Red, because it symbolizes good fortune and protection from bad spirits.
At the Carnival of Venice, what artistic activity is very common, besides wearing masks?
Parades, dances, and costume shows
Where does the Carnival of Venice take place?
Venice, Italy
Which celebration is famous for its canals, gondolas, and elegant masked balls?
The Carnival of Venice.
These three countries, besides China, also celebrate the Lantern Festival.
What are Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia?
What do people traditionally wear during the Carnival of Venice, and for what purpose?
They wear elaborate masks to hide their identity
What noisy activity is essential during Chinese New Year and why?
Firecrackers, to scare away evil spirits
How long does Chinese New Year usually last?
About 15 days
In which continent can you find BOTH celebrations?
Asia (China) and Europe (Italy). They are on different continents, not the same one.
“In this festival, people write wishes on a special type of lantern.
Name the lantern AND explain its purpose.”
“A sky lantern; people write wishes on it to send their hopes and prayers into the sky.”
During Chinese New Year, what animal influences the personality of the year?
The Zodiac animal of the year.
This symbolic object is used in BOTH celebrations (Venice carnival and chinese new year): one for elegance, the other for protection. Name the object and explain each use
A mask — in Venice it is for beauty and anonymity; in Chinese New Year, the lion/dragon ‘mask’ scares away evil spirits.
Chinese New Year is also known by another name. Which one?
The Spring Festival.
Both festivals have roots in ancient traditions. Compare their original purposes.
Venice: celebration before Lent and social equality through masks. Chinese New Year: welcoming spring, renewing luck, and driving away evil spirits.