The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese "carnival". The most popular Lantern Festival carnival activities among Shanghai people are watching lanterns and walking on the Three Bridges.
Umbrella lanterns are one of the most famous lanterns in Shanghai since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Umbrella lanterns, also known as parasol lanterns, are round or hexagonal umbrella-shaped lights. The umbrella lantern is made of translucent paper, a specialty of Shanghai. The umbrella surface is as thin as a cicada's wing. The umbrella is engraved with landscapes, flowers and birds, or opera story patterns, and is paired with a necklace. Viewed from a distance, it is exquisite and dazzling. Just as a bamboo poem says: "Moonlight Sheng The flute is walking on the green, and the beaded curtain hangs against the small building. Wu Lingshu talks about the paper, and is good at counting umbrella lanterns in Jiangxiang" (Zhang Chunhua's "Song of the Year in Shanghai"); raising the pavilion is another type of lanterns with Shanghai characteristics, which refers to large pavilion-shaped lanterns about three to four feet high made of colored paper. The pavilion is decorated with dragons and phoenixes, and is made of mica stone as the outer shell. It is transparent from top to bottom and illuminates for several feet. The pavilion has two or three floors. On each floor, children play opera roles, accompanied by sheng, flute and drum music, all night long.
Walking three bridges is one of the characteristic Lantern Festival customs in Shanghai. Walking Three Bridges, also known as "Walking All Diseases", refers to the custom of walking across three bridges on the 15th night of the first lunar month to pray for the removal of diseases for a year. Crossing the bridge means "crossing the river", and "crossing the river" is a homophone for "crossing the disaster". Therefore, walking on three bridges has the auspicious meaning of avoiding disasters. The custom of walking three bridges is most popular among women. On the one hand, the Lantern Festival was one of the few times for ancient women to go out for entertainment. There was often a certain distance between the three bridges, which objectively expanded the scope of women's activities. On the other hand, walking on the bridge itself can strengthen the body. Walking on the bridge under the moonlit night with sisters is more beneficial to physical and mental health. According to records, the three most popular bridges for women in Shanghai in the 20th century were the Yiqing Bridge at Xiaodongmen, the Changsheng Bridge south of Tianguan Archway, and the Ruyi Bridge east of Yimiao. The names of the three bridges are collectively called "Yiqing Changsheng Ruyi", which means peace and auspiciousness.
