CCTV marked the Lantern Festival with an annual gala at 8 pm on Feb 26.

Various programs, such as singing, dancing, acrobatics and traditional Chinese operas, were staged and performed by both veteran and young Chinese artists, including singer Hu Songhua, actress Tian Hua, and singer-actors Wang Yibo and Yi Yangqianxi.

The gala received warm feedback from the audience. Topics with the Lantern Festival hashtag have been viewed more than 1.1 billion times, with over 5 million comments on Sina Weibo.

The Lantern Festival, which marks the end of Spring Festival, fell on Feb 26 this year. As one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, audience usually enjoy the gala eating yuanxiao, which is made of glutinous rice filled with different fillings, such as sugar, chocolate and sesame paste. The round shape of the yuanxiao dumplings symbolizes family togetherness. The Chinese people believe eating yuanxiao brings happiness and good luck to their family in the new year.