Animal lanterns are seen in the Budapest zoo in Budapest, Hungary, April 7, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Guo Xiaoguang, the cultural attache to the Chinese embassy in Hungary, noted that the lantern was a highly popular art form used in many Chinese festivals. The particular lantern displays being presented in Budapest originated in southwest China's Sichuan province, he said.

The director of the Budapest zoo, Miklos Persanyi, said that the only European countries to precede Hungary with lantern festivals were the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

Called Nights of the Dragon, and designed as an integral component of the Budapest Spring Festival, the goal of the display is to offer a glimpse of Chinese culture by presenting the lanterns in various configurations and designs. The lanterns literally take the shape the figures they portray in a plethora of color.