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In pictures: Spring Lantern Festival in Hong Kong, through the years

To mark the end of Chinese New Year, Hong Kong comes alive with colourful lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month – here’s a look back at celebrations from the 1980s to 2024

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Visitors trying to solve lantern riddles during the Spring Lantern Festival in Tiger Balm Gardens in Tai Hang, Hong Kong, in 1988. Photo: David Wong
SCMP Reporter
The Spring Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the first lunar month, marks the end of the two-week-long Lunar New Year celebrations. The festival is characterised by colourful lanterns crafted in a variety of shapes and styles, with riddles attached.

Scroll on to see how Hong Kong has celebrated the festival through the years.

A lion dance to celebrate the Spring Lantern Festival in Tiger Balm Gardens, in 1988. Photo: David Wong.
A lion dance to celebrate the Spring Lantern Festival in Tiger Balm Gardens, in 1988. Photo: David Wong.
Six-month-old Tse Pui-shan and her father admiring spring lanterns at the Taoist Yuen Yuen Institute in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, in 1992. One thousand people bought lanterns at the institute over the weekend in preparation for the Spring Lantern Festival. Lanterns were decorated with images such as dragons and gods, and cost up to HK$5,000. Photo: SCMP Archives
Six-month-old Tse Pui-shan and her father admiring spring lanterns at the Taoist Yuen Yuen Institute in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, in 1992. One thousand people bought lanterns at the institute over the weekend in preparation for the Spring Lantern Festival. Lanterns were decorated with images such as dragons and gods, and cost up to HK$5,000. Photo: SCMP Archives
Seeing the light … Love is in the air for Johnny Lam Tin-hon and Jean Kwan Hing-ling as they attend the 1994 Spring Lantern Festival at the Ko Shan Theatre, Kowloon. Couples enjoyed the romantic setting during the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day and entertainment included Chinese chamber music and a lantern gala. Photo: SCMP Archives
Seeing the light … Love is in the air for Johnny Lam Tin-hon and Jean Kwan Hing-ling as they attend the 1994 Spring Lantern Festival at the Ko Shan Theatre, Kowloon. Couples enjoyed the romantic setting during the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day and entertainment included Chinese chamber music and a lantern gala. Photo: SCMP Archives
Visitors appreciating the lanterns on display at the Ko Shan Theatre during the Spring Lantern Festival celebration in 1997. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Visitors appreciating the lanterns on display at the Ko Shan Theatre during the Spring Lantern Festival celebration in 1997. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
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