I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.

Today is the Yuan Xiao Festival, also called the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival falls on the first full moon night of the Lunar New Year.

This is the 15th day of the Lunar New Year; it marks the end of the New Year celebrations, welcoming the return of spring and symbolizing family reunion. It signifies lighting up the future, driving away darkness, and fostering hope for the coming year.

There is a traditional story about the Lantern Festival. A beautiful heavenly bird flew down to a village and was killed. The God of Heaven was furious and planned to burn down the entire village on the 15th lunar day. A wise villager advised every family to hang candle lanterns around their homes, carry lanterns through the streets, and set off fireworks on the 15th lunar night. When the soldiers of the God of Heaven looked down from the heavens, they saw the village glowing brightly and believed it was already on fire, so they returned to the heavens. The village was saved, and people have continued the lantern-lighting tradition on this day every year.

Lantern owners write riddles on paper slips and paste them onto colorful lanterns. People gather around to guess the answers. If someone believes they have the correct answer, they can remove the riddle and bring it to the lantern owner to check. If the answer is correct, there is usually a small prize.

To close out the holiday, please enjoy this lantern riddle from ACME:

The person who makes it doesn’t need it. The person who buys it doesn’t use it. The person who uses it doesn’t see it. What is it?