Written by Cherry Ngo, Katherine Wang (Class of 2024), and the Editorial Team
Photos by Amy Liu (Class of 2023) and Rachel Blythe (Class of 2022)
Video by Rachel Blythe (Class of 2022)

Strings of bright and festive lanterns swung gently in the breeze, as flavorful snacks lined the tables. It was February 15, and IGDVS came together to celebrate the annual Lantern Festival.

The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year to mark the end of the new year festivities. Honoring tradition, the sophomore class hosted a school-wide event with performances, delicious food, and an engaging riddle activity.

First, the elementary and high school students enjoyed a scrumptious meal with a variety of snacks. The K-1 students also came by with handmade tiger headbands to sing “Two Tigers” (两隻老虎), which delighted everyone, as they sang along.

Then, it was time for the most anticipated activity of the day: guessing lantern riddles (猜燈謎). A few days prior, the elementary and high school students had participated in making paper lanterns, which the sophomores then strung together and attached riddles to. To add an educational touch to the game, they had also collected riddles from various teachers about subjects such as math, chemistry, and Chinese, on top of the more common logic riddles.

The students were divided into groups and given answer sheets to fill in. With a limited amount of time, the groups began a friendly competition to see who could answer the most riddles. Soon, the lawn was filled with shouts of joy as the riddles were deciphered one by one.

Special thanks to Ms. Wang for helping organize the activities, as well as all the teachers and students that participated! We hope you all happy, healthy, and successful Year of the Tiger!