The cake is a dark brown, sweet pastry, and signifies good luck. Jai is prepared in the belief that a new year should start with a pure dish made entirely of vegetables. Incense and candles are lit to pay homage to ancestors. Sprays of an evergreen plant are displayed to signify long life, and golden oranges are stacked on plates like a pyramid to ask for prosperity for the home in the coming year. On the 15th day of the New Year, the celebration ends with a lantern and dragon parade.
Lanterns help people find the heavenly spirits who are believed to be flying around the full moon.
The Lantern Festival also is said to usher in light and warmth after the cold winter, and represents a prayer for plentiful spring rains for the farmers. A block-long dragon, a mythical creature symbolic of vigor and fertility, is carried by as many as 200 men who swirl its body around to scare off any remaining evil spirits lurking around. The dragon is described as having the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a rabbit, ears of a cow, neck of a serpent, belly of a frog and scales of a carp, combining the powerful life forces of all these animals. Lion dancers led by a drummer visit homes and businesses. Heads of lettuce are left outside, hanging from a long rope to entice the lion.