Miami New Times at the Lantern Light Festival

The Lantern Light festival is a six week celebration of Chinese culture featuring massive lanterns, inspiring performances, and incredible cuisine. A tradition that started over 2,000 years ago, the lantern festival is China’s most important celebration, marking the return of spring, with the lighting of Chinese lanterns being symbolic of illuminating the future and the reunion of family. Each Chinese lantern is custom-built by Chinese artisans and typically takes four weeks and a team of seven to complete.The lanterns appear to be three-dimensional stained glass, and are handmade from hundreds of pieces of silky cloth. Some are over 30 feet high and others are up to 300 feet long. Photos by Miranda Reinke