Society
Giant full moon to light up weekend
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-27 08:33
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"The full moon on Sunday, which coincides with the Lantern Festival, will look 10 percent bigger than its normal size," said Wang Sichao, an expert at the Nanjing-based Chinese Academy of Sciences' Purple Mountain Observatory.
He said the moon will pass the area around the perigee at 6:00 am on Sunday. However, the brightest and roundest moon will be observed on Monday, March 1.
The Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is an occasion for family reunions. It marks the formal end of the new year festivities.
According to Chinese tradition, people enjoy colorful lanterns on the streets and in parks on the night of the festival. They also eat yuanxiao, small dumplings made of glutinous rice flour.
The Beijing city government on Friday sent text messages to mobile phone users to remind everyone that fireworks are not permitted in the city after the Lantern Festival.
Many big Chinese cities such as Beijing impose fireworks bans and only allow fireworks celebrations during the new year revelry.
Xinhua
