Long, long ago in ancient China there lived a palace maid named Yuanxiao, a kind and clever girl who was locked up in the palace of her Emperor Wu Di all year round. This made her sad and homesick and it was a lucky thing that she found a friend in a minister called Dongfang Shuo. It was Shuo who told the emperor this clever story and it was because of this story that Yuanxiao saw her family again.

"Oh Emperor," said Shuo "the God of Fire has been ordered to set the city of Changan on fire! It will happen on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year and the only way to stop it is to let off fire crackers and hang up red lanterns all over the city."

"But how can I do this?" asked the Emperor Wu Di.

"Emperor," said Shuo "everyone, even the palace maids will have to help and take part in a great lantern show."

Now Shuo knew that the God of Fire loved to watch a good fire show and liked the dumplings made by Yuanxiao just as much. "Let Yuanxiao give her dumplings to the fire god," said Shuo to his emperor, "for that will please him and save the city from fire."

Well, the Emperor liked this story and he ordered all the people of Changan to spend the whole night letting off firecrackers and playing with lanterns. This was a very good thing for girls were able to go out at night and meet boys of the same age and this was very rare indeed. And Yuanxiao was able to leave the palace and meet her family for a fine and happy family time and the next year it all happened again!

The Emperor Wu Di enjoyed himself so much that he ordered even more red lanterns for a second year as red was the colour to scare away evil spirits and bad luck. And on the very same day this next year, Yuanxiao made her dumplings again and saw her family once more.

And so it is today, that some people call the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Yuanxiao Festival for it is still said that it is the dumplings that bring families together. On this night people celebrate under the first full moon of the year. There are red lanterns that look like flowers, others that look like people and some that look like animals. There are lanterns like machines and some that show scenes of very old stories that everyone loves.

From bright shining lanterns hang riddles for people to guess - riddles that tell of girls who met their Prince Charming on lantern night and riddles that tell of stories from long, long ago. Lantern night brings the beat of waist drummers, dancers moving on stilts and lions and dragons leaping as fireworks light up the sky.

This first full moon of the year is a symbol of happy family reunions and a full and happy life, and this is a very fine thing for the Lantern Festival is a time for fun.