Nagasaki Lantern Festival Opens With 15,000 Lights Coloring The Town

NAGASAKI, JAPAN - FEB. 19: The Nagasaki Lantern Festival, which celebrates Chinese New Year by lighting roughly 15,000 Chinese paper lanterns throughout town, began on the 19th, and the whole city was colored by red and yellow lights. At the main venue of Minato Park near Chinatown, the lanterns were lit to the sounds of gongs and firecrackers at 6:00 PM. The Lantern Festival first started in 1994 as an expansion of the festivities held by Chinese residents. During the event period lasting through March 5th, there will be performances of a procession for the Chinese sea goddess Mazu once performed by the crews of Chinese boats docked in Nagasaki, Chinese acrobatics, and the Chinese lion dance. You can also enjoy gourmet foods like Chinese sweets. A turnout of more than 900,000 visitors is expected.