GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Take one step inside John Ball Zoo and right away, you'll notice quite a few things you didn't see last time you stopped by.
On Wednesdays from April 19 through June 11, the zoo will be home to the Grand Rapids Lantern Festival.
"It is a really cool one-way path throughout the zoo, about a mile-long that features over 55 of these groupings of handcrafted Asian lanterns that all together makes up hundreds of lanterns throughout the zoo," said Darci Napolillo, who serves as the promotions and events manager for the zoo.
"Some are really fun and interactive. They spin. They blow bubbles. There's a whole playground with swings and seesaws that you can play on. It's going to be a really cool experience."
So, why lanterns? The tradition of lantern festivals in China is more than 2,000 years old.
"It's a traditional Chinese festival that marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. It takes place on the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar calendar, which typically falls in February or March. It represents a time of renewal and the beginning of the spring," said Crystal Chen.
Chen serves as the on-site program coordinator for Tianyu Arts & Culture, the company that put the lanterns up in John Ball Zoo. It's the largest Chinese lantern festival producer in North America.
The skeleton of a lantern is typically made from bamboo, wood rattan, or wire. The shades are made of silk or paper. The designs symbolize warmth, happiness and good fortunate. People use the lanterns to honor their deceased ancestors, while promoting peace as part of those New Year celebrations.
"We make all of the lanterns by ourselves, like by hand," Chen said.
"We have many steps to make the lanterns. We have our own designer to design something special like the butterfly tree. We have our staff to make the structures. Also we have some artists to do the painting and to do fabric. We have our craftsmen that will put all the things together. Also, we need deliveries — sometimes from China, sometimes from the U.S., to the zoo."
In all, the process takes months.
The Grand Rapids Lantern Festival opens at John Ball Zoo
"To watch it go from paper to real life is has been amazing. They're all bigger and better than we could have ever imagined," Napolillo said.
Tianyu works with zoos across the country to spread a message of conservation by creating lanterns depicting creatures in their natural habitats.
"They've done a really good job of connecting that intersecting story of wildlife and Asian culture. So, as you walk through the Lantern Festival, you'll see a lot of the Asian culture pieces like the Chinese zodiac that all have their animal counterparts," Napolillo said.
Chen, who is originally from China, said she's enjoyed learning about the diverse range of cultures in the United States. She's happy to learn new things, and she's happy she gets to use her work with Tianyu to return the favor.
"I hope people come here first of all to enjoy the beautiful lanterns and to enjoy the moment with their families. Secondly, I hope they can learn about different countries and get a little bit of understanding about Chinese culture."
During a preview night on Tuesday, there was a special performance by the Lotus Boyz of Grand Rapids, a group that performs lion dances for schools and events. Group members say it means everything to them to share their culture.
"I like sharing my culture. It's the best feeling ever because people are like 'Oh it's the midwest. You never see Asian culture.' But we do! I'm a part of it. I've seen it. I've seen it everywhere," said Lotus Boyz member Thao Tran.
The Lotus Boyz will be performing a few more dates during the Lantern Festival, including Memorial Day weekend.
If you want to get tickets to the festival, visit the zoo's website here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.