SHANGBAN

Shangban Lord Guan Lantern Festival

Dragon dances, lanterns glow— Brave and true, watch them go!

🏮The Legend

⭐ Origins

In Shangban Village, people celebrate the Lantern Festival with a special dragon of lights. They put lanterns on wooden boards, join the boards together, and make a glowing dragon that shines through the night.

A long time ago, people made lanterns on wooden boards, joining them together like a dragon. Later, the story of the brave hero Guan Yu was added, so the lantern dragon was called the ‘Guandi Lantern’ or ‘Guandi Dragon.

On Lantern Festival night, the Cao family makes a dragon of lanterns. The dragon’s head looks like the word ‘丰,’ and each board has three bright lanterns. Elders carry the head and tail, young people protect the lights, and drums play loudly. The lantern dragon walks through the village, bringing blessings and happiness to every home.

🌟Bench by bench, light by light, Connecting homes and laughs so bright!

📚Resources:

China Heritage Digital Museum

Other information

China Daily