The festival of Chinese lanterns in Pakruojis manor has been recognized several times in Lithuania as the “Best Show of the Year”.

April may be the cruelest month, but December, the darkest, can feel unkind, too. New York, however, offers its own illumination during these long, blustery nights, and not just Rockefeller Center’s seasonal sparkle. You will usually find food, entertainment and family activities here, as well as glowing LED artifice: fairy palaces, alluring sweets, roaring dinosaurs — and lots of pandas.

“Incredibly spectacular,” says Carel van Kuilenburg, visitor and neighbor of the zoo. We may not be as exuberant as the Chinese, but last year it was already great, and now it is even bigger and more beautiful. As if you are walking in a fairytale paradise.”

“The Zigong Lantern Festival not only added brilliance to the Sibiu International Theater Festival, but also provided many Romanians with the opportunity to enjoy the famous Chinese lanterns for the first time in their life,” Christine Manta Klemens, vice chairman of the Sibiu County Council, said.