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__**Chinese Lanterns**__

__**the lantern**__ -torches carried on the eve of the Chinese New Year by Buddhist monks as early as 250 B.C. Monks carried these torches at night in hopes of spotting the ethereal figures of the Buddha and his bodhisattvas. Soon, commoners began making lanterns with frames of bamboo, redwood or wire and covering them with thin, oiled paper, gauze or silk -used as primary source of light.first ever portable lighting structure produced by man. -The lamp/ lantern shade of course protects the flame inside from being extinguished in windy weather, but it also provides a better, more diffuse form of illumination than an open flame, the latter of which creates sharp contrasts between illuminated and non-illuminated parts of objects __**decoration**__ They would often be decorated with Chinese calligraphic characters, images of historical figures, deities, landscapes and other conceptual or narrative imaging. As such the Chinese lantern became a reflection of the prevailing trends in the country. [] Read more: [|The History of Chinese Lanterns | eHow.com] [] -annual Lantern Festival as the name suggests is a festival centered on this very craftwork -the Chinese Lantern Festival has taken place on the first moon of the new Lunar Year, or the 15th day of the New Year, since 230 B.C. -At this time, people gathered en masse in the streets and raised lanterns after nightfall in an attempt to see their deceased loved ones passing over on their journey to the heavens. -Today this festival is also known as the Second New Year, and celebrations feature elaborate lanterns with scenes or riddles painted on them. All people, from the cities to the countryside, string hundreds of lanterns across streets and around their homes Read more: [|The History of Chinese Lanterns | eHow.com] [] - __**Flying Lanterns**__ During the Han Dynasty, from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D., the Chinese Empire was divided into three warring kingdoms, and the military hero and strategist Zhu Geliang (also known as Kung Ming) devised special lanterns to alert nearby cities of approaching attackers. These "Flying Lanterns"
 * __The impact of the Chinese lantern__**
 * __Lantern Festival__**

Read more: [|The History of Chinese Lanterns | eHow.com] []