February 14 is the 2014 date of the Chinese Lantern Festival which marks the end of the 15 day celebration of the Lunar New Year and the Chinese Year of the Horse. The horse is part of a 12-year-cycle of animals that make up the Chinese zodiac. These interact with the five elements: wood, metal, fire, water, earth. This is the year of the wood horse, taking over from the year of the water snake.
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| Paper Lanterns on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA |
The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to evening parades under the light of the full moon.
Paper Lanterns will soon make another appearance on this bog, but for now, a few more photos (from sunny CA)...
Palm trees and sunshine..so lovely! What a treat and beautiful to look at from here in the snow belt.
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day! Enjoy...
So festive! The color red is also so powerful!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy winter and snow but those sunny pictures are a welcome break!
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