The Lantern Festival, as celebrated in China, is a tradition that dates back to the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), the second and the longest dynasty in Imperial China. This evening celebration is held during the New Year cycle of festivities, as adults and children carrying lanterns stroll through the streets at dusk. Traditional motifs of plants, animals and mythical scenes, once fashioned from paper and silk, are now often made out of nylon and other modern materials. The sight of all these people out strolling with their own sources of light is splendidly festive.