Red lanterns
Hung in pairs at the door, red lanterns wish a home joy and luck.
When and how to hang them
Hang a pair
One each side of the door, at the same height. Good things come in twos, and a single looks unfinished.
Time it to the calendar
Put them up in the last days before Lunar New Year's Eve. Take them down after the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth night of the first lunar month.
Choose red for joy
Red is for celebration. White lanterns belong to mourning in Chinese custom, so they stay off a festive door.
A pair at the door, and the new year is home.
Picking your pair
Never put a real flame in a fabric or paper lantern. Sky lanterns are a fire risk and banned in many places.
Red lanterns
Hand-picked pieces are on the way.
Good to know
Why do Chinese people hang red lanterns?
To mark joy and welcome luck. Red is the color of celebration, and a lit lantern says the house is happy. They go up for Lunar New Year, weddings and other good occasions.
When should you take down Chinese New Year lanterns?
After the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the first lunar month. That night closes the New Year season, so many families take them down then or the next day.
Can you hang Chinese lanterns outside?
Yes, if they are made for it. Use weatherproof fabric, tie the bottom so wind cannot flip them, and use a low-heat LED. Paper lanterns belong indoors or under cover.
