Chinese Valentine's Day

Yesterday was the last day of the Lunar new year, also know as the Chinese version of Valentine's day. There are two main activities for the day:

1. Sending up a flying lantern - Groups of people, or couples, write their wishes for the new year on the lantern which is somewhat like a hot air balloon, then let it fly into the night sky, probably so that the deities can recieve it.

2. Throwing oranges - Basically girls will write their phone numbers on oranges then throw them into a lake or river, where guys will then fish them out.

So yesterday I went to experience the festivities for the first time in my life, as before this I was always too lazy to go. I called up a gang of friends and we went to a large park, which was a designated area for these activities.

We started by writing wishes on a lantern. My good friend, a girl, asked me to write her wish for her, upon which I promptly wrote that she would get married this year, ignoring her loud protests. We observed many people's lanterns crashing into a wall of trees due to improper calculation of angle and wind strength, so by standing furthur from the trees and holding the lantern for a longer time before letting go, we avoided our wishes from being 'stuck' metaphorically. Holding the lantern longer lets the air inside it get hotter so it rises faster.

After that we proceeded to the orange throwing session. Many girls were throwing oranges into the lake, while some guys brought extendable poles with nets, which I found very professional.

My aforementioned good friend was too shy to throw, so I wrote her number on an orange then aimed at the lake. However at the last moment I turned and chucked it straight into the densest part of the crowd, to her great dismay.

After that multiple guys have been calling her, to my great delight. I always felt that throwing into the lake was less effective than throwing it directly at people, and the subsequent events have vindicated my opinion on this.