Lighting up memories

East wind blows,

A thousand fireworks bloom,

Their sparks rain from starry skies.

Decorated horses, carved wagons,

And fragrances spread along the road.

Phoenix flutes echo,

Jade pots spin their light,

Paper fish and dragons dance all night long

That's how the Southern Song (1127-1279) poet Xin Qiji described the scenes of a Lantern Festival night, the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, in ancient times. It is a far cry from today's celebrations and few can picture those times exactly but many Shanghai folks have seen their own Lantern Festivals change dramatically over just 20 years.

In a recent microblog poll nearly 50 percent of the respondents said they would spend the day at home, watching television and enjoying some special eats. Fewer than 10 percent were planning an outing like going to see a lantern show or going to a traditional party with riddles and lanterns. Many said they would be working extra shifts on the day.

This contrasts sharply with the 1980s when nearly every household with a child would be making its own lanterns and watching fireworks in the street.

Many Shanghai people who grew up in the 1980s believe it is a great pity that children today have lost this moment of childhood fun even though some people and businesses are trying to maintain the traditions.

A lot of fun

In the City God Temple of Shanghai last Saturday Lu Wei was walking with his wife and baby daughter. This area is famous for celebrating the traditional Chinese festivals in style. The 31-year-old looked over the modern lanterns with their varied colors, shapes and sizes and felt a wave of nostalgia. "When I was small my grandpa made lanterns shaped like rabbits out of twigs and rice paper. The rabbit fur was made with finely-cut pieces of paper. Mostly I was looking at what he was doing and helping with chores. But back then that was a real festival. A lot of fun," Lu said.

Just as some are today, the paper lanterns shaped like rabbits were given wheels so children could drag them around the streets. Few places sell these traditional paper lanterns these days but there is one vendor in the Yuyuan Garden precinct who finds his handmade traditional lanterns profitable even if they cost twice as much as the modern electronic variety. "These are all handmade so they look different from each other in one way or another. It takes quite some time and skill to make them. It's no problem to sell 100 of these a day," the vendor said.

In the old days there were lighted candles inside the rabbit lanterns. "We walked our lanterns carefully in case they turned over and caught fire. I was constantly looking back at my candle to make sure it was all right," a 29-year-old woman named Yuan recalled. Growing up in a longtang (lane) in Jing'an district, she said the Lantern Festival was more exciting for her than the Chinese New Year's Eve.

"All the kids living in the longtang came out that night. We showed off our homemade lanterns and lit small fireworks. Making our own lanterns was a homework chore ordered by our school teachers," said Yuan. "Although there were no large fireworks displays we had a lot of fun back then. If a lantern accidentally caught fire, we would all get over excited and surround the lantern that was on fire and watch it burn. But as I grew older and became a middle school student, the traditions began to fade. Today I guess the festival is simply about eating yuanxiao (small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour with sesame, rose, dried fruit, jujube paste, sugar and walnut filling)."