The Lantern Festival traditionally marks the end of the Chinese New Year holidays. I had never celebrated it before, but it seems to be a pretty big deal in Taiwan. Out in Pingxi, thousands of people trek into town to participate in the release of sky lanterns... huge white lanterns written with the wishes and hopes of the New Year. As the lanterns heat up, they gently float up the night sky in a brilliant display. I wasn't able to go this year, but it's definitely on my list for 2018.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is the Bee Festival down in Yanshuei. Thousands of firecrackers are lit and fired into a crowd of people, who are all covered from head to toe in home-spun protective gear. Apparently, being hit by a firecracker will bring you luck... that is, if you don't first sustain burn injuries! The pictures I've seen of this event are insane, and I can't imagine being in that crowd!
In comparison, my own Lantern Festival experience was very mild. I wandered out to Taipei, where there were light shows, floats, and a myriad of lanterns on display. The mood was festive but mild, even with the huge crowds of people. In the end, it was very nice to partake in a bit of this local culture, especially since Chinese New Year was never a huge thing while growing up in the states.
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| It's the year of the rooster. Guess which animal popped up again and again? It's like... there's a theme or something! |
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| One of the streets was decorated with strings of light. It's kind of amazing how something so simple could create an atmosphere that almost felt magical. |
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| A large area was reserved for all the lanterns. Obviously, in this modern age, everything is lit electrically... no unintended fire hazards here! |
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| Some of the lanterns were made with recycled materials... this pretty bird is made up all of plastic bottlecaps! |
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| Chickens chickens.... it's the theme... (whoa, evening pictures = blurry pictures) |
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| I'm not sure what this display meant... lots of ants crawling on box-like structures...? |
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| Another chicken! The globe-like 'eggs' that he is surrounded by are actually plastic cups! I believe that this was one of the student entries. Pretty good, right? |
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| Another student entry; this time an abstract one. It looked really cool and impressive in person. |
Part of the appeal of being in Taiwan is the interesting combination of both the familiar and the new. So many of my childhood celebrations and events are represented here, but done in a way that is new to me. It's both comforting and thrilling, all at the same time. :)
