NC Chinese Lantern Festival
Cody and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary and 3rd annual lantern festival date this week! This was the place of our first date, and now it’s tradition to wear the same outfit and come back every year to celebrate and reminisce on our time together.
Cody first messaged me on Hinge (dating app), on December 26, 2022. One of my profile pictures showed me indoor rock climbing, and Cody commented, “That can be your activity. I don’t like heights.” To which I responded, “That is a deal breaker.” However, Cody persisted, and our conversations turned to exciting topics like the cleaning power of Dawn Powerwash (it’s incredible). Cody tells me he was attracted to my “practical and rational” nature. What intrigued me about Cody was his response to a prompt: “A green flag is… someone who is empathic.” This was unique, as most men on dating apps answer: “A green flag is… someone who will feed me tacos.” I am more empathetic than I am willing to be someone’s taco supplier.
We decided to meet at the Lantern Festival for our first date on January 7, 2023. We were both late, as the traffic leading to the parking lot was very busy! We had a fun time looking at the dinosaur and bird displays. Cody impressed me by identifying the pheasants. I have no bird knowledge. I once confused a heron for a pelican. We also sat down on the stone steps and watched some questionable performances; we still wonder why there were mimes at a Chinese lantern festival? As we sat together in the 39 degree Fahrenheit weather, we chatted and learned a little bit more about each other, knowing that a second date would be in our future.
These days, as a callback to our first date, we get ready in the same outfits we wore on our first date. I wear my colorful striped sweater, and Cody puts on his finest green quarter zip. The lantern festival is different every year, but there are a few things that we most look forward to: the tunnel entrance of brightly lit lanterns setting the tone for the event ahead, the zodiac lanterns, the dinosaurs, the room of lights (so we can recreate our first date selfie), and we always make sure to catch one of the performances. In case you were wondering, the mimes have not returned.