The Red Lanterns

Symbolize divine light emanating outward to the world to dispel evil and darkness. The lighting of paper lanterns has since become a regular part of all Chinese celebrations -- sometimes the lanterns are set adrift on water or launched into the air like helium balloons -- and this festive art has been passed to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. There are five distinct classes of Chinese lanterns, including the Tomato Light or Big Red lantern, which is the classic round mid-sized version. Between 1899 and 1901, there was an anti-imperialist, anti-foreign uprising in China called the Boxer Rebellion (because the Europeans called martial arts “Chinese boxing”). The opportunity to fight back against Western encroachment and colonization was very appealing to unemployed village men, many of whom were teenagers. Village women formed their own fighting units: Red Lanterns (young women ages 12-18), Blue Lanterns (middle-aged women) and Black Lanterns (elderly women). The young Red Lanterns