Villagers carrying wooden benches decorated in the pattern of a dragon walk in the village of Shangrao County, Jiangxi Province.

Feb. 23, Nanchang, (jxnews.com) - The Lantern Festival which begins today is warmly welcomed across Jiangxi Province, bringing the long celebration for the Chinese New Year to an end.

Hakkas in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, celebrate Lantern Festival.

Lanterns are displayed everywhere. Land-boat dance, dragon-lantern dance and lion dance are performed in streets and villages. Families have a big dinner tonight to eat sweet dumplings, or Yuanxiao in Chinese, a traditional food made of glutinous rice flour, usually served in soup.

Shoppers buy sweet dumplings, or Yuanxiao in Chinese.

Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiaojie in Chinese, falls on 15th day of the first lunar month. The festival developed from an ancient ceremony of using torches to ward off evil spirits. On the Lantern Festival, people decorate houses and streets with various lanterns and red streamers for watch and amusement. The day derives the name Lantern Festival.

Residents performance the dragon dance in Nanchang, capital of Jisngxi Province.

Residents performance land-boat dance in streets in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province.