At the Spring Festival gala they recited the ci poem beginning 'The moon rises to the willow tip.'
Tips
history
From Ouyang Xiu 欧阳修's Northern Song ci 生查子·元夕 (authorship sometimes attributed to Zhu Shuzhen 朱淑真): 月上柳梢头，人约黄昏后 (The moon climbs to the willow tip; we meet after dusk.) Set on the Lantern Festival 元夕, traditionally a rare night when young men and women could meet freely.
usage
Always paired with 人约黄昏后. 梢 = tip of a branch. The couplet is shorthand for 'romantic Lantern Festival tryst.'
