Paper lantern

Paper lanterns are called Dēnglóng (simplified Chinese: 灯笼; traditional Chinese: 燈籠) in China.

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  Lantern festival at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan
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  Lanterns above the street in London's Chinatown

In Japan the traditional styles include bonbori and chōchin and there is a special style of lettering called chōchin moji used to write on them.

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  A chochin lantern from Japan
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  Hexagonal bonbori lamps the Ise Grand Shrine

In the Philippines, a traditional paper lantern is the parol, which is regarded an iconic symbol of Filipino Christmas. Traditionally constructed using bamboo and Japanese paper, modern parols have been made using other materials such as plastic, metal, and capiz shells. Its most-common form is a five-pointed star, although it can come in various shapes and sizes.[4][5][6]

Dating back to the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, parols are a traditional part of the Panunulúyan pageant in the nine-day Christmas Novena procession leading up to the Simbang Gabi (midnight mass). It was initially rectangular or oblong in shape but eventually came to be made in various shapes. It became standardized to a five-pointed star (symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem) during the American colonial period.[7]

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  A simple star-shaped parol made of capiz shells
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  Parols for sale
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  Programed electronic parols during the 2012 Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Pampanga

During the Yi Peng festival of Thailand, some people also decorate their houses, gardens, and temples with khom fai (Thai: โคมไฟ), intricately shaped paper lanterns which take on different forms. Khom thue (Thai: โคมถือ) are lanterns which are carried around hanging from a stick, khom khwaen (Thai: โคมแขวน) are the hanging lanterns, and khom pariwat (Thai: โคมปริวรรต), which are placed at temples and which revolve due to the heat of the candle inside. The most elaborate Yi Peng celebrations can be seen in Chiang Mai,[8] the ancient capital of the former Lanna kingdom, where now both Loi Krathong and Yi Peng are celebrated at the same time resulting in lights floating on the waters, lights hanging from trees/buildings or standing on walls, and lights floating in the sky. The tradition of Yi Peng was also adopted by certain parts of Laos during the 16th century.

Thousands of sky lanterns called khom loi (Thai: โคมลอย) are also released annually during the Yi Peng festival. However, this is a relatively new addition to the festival, only dating back to the first decade of the 21st century as part of tourism development.[9]

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  Sky lanterns in the sky on the night of Yi Peng in Thailand.

Two traditional festivals in Vietnam have prominent roles for lanterns:

1. Vu Lan on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Buddhist temples traditionally would host the release of floating water lanterns down river courses on small paper crafts with sticks of incense and written prayers.

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  An old woman releases water lanterns in Hội An
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  Buddhists and monks prepare to water lanterns on the occasion of Vu Lan

1. Tết Trung Thu, (Mid-Autumn festival) also known as the Children's Festival (Tết Nhi Đồng) on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Children would parade in the streets with lit lanterns (rước đèn) with accompanying music and songs after sunset. The lanterns in this case are whimsical with a multitude of shapes and themes like fish, star... The lanterns are typically in transparent colored papers.

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  Star-shaped lanterns of tết Trung Thu.
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  Star-shaped lanterns
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  The street of colourful lanterns - Léon Busy (1874-1951)

In addition to the above two festivals, paper lanterns are also hung by Vietnamese people on the occasion of the Tết Nguyên Đán to look forward to a good new year.

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  Paper lantern, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology - Hanoi
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  Paper lanterns are hung during the Tết Nguyên Đán in Bát Tràng village
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  Paper lanterns in Hanoi's Old Quarter
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  Đại Trung Gate, Văn Miếu

Paper lanterns are also used to attract visitors, for example, Hoian city, a famous tourist destination of Vietnam, often hangs paper lanterns throughout the year to attract tourists.

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  Paper Lanterns in the streets of Hội An
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  Paper Lanterns in Thương xá Tax

Colorful paper lanterns called vesak kuudu are hung outside houses during the Buddhist festival of Vesak.[10]

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  Traditional Vesak lanterns during Vesak in Sri Lanka

Placing candles or tea lights in a succession of small paper bags (known as luminarias or farolitos) is a common Christmas tradition in New Mexico. The tradition originated from the parol paper lanterns of the Philippines brought over to the Americas during the colonial period.[11][12][13][14]

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  Luminarias during Christmas in Albuquerque, New Mexico

During the Festa della Rificolona held in Florence, Italy, children carry colourful paper lanterns through the streets of the city.

In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other German-speaking and some Dutch-speaking parts of Europe there is a tradition of the Sankt-Martins-Umzug (Sint-Maarten in Dutch), during which children parade with paper lanterns that are traditionally handmade.