TAIWAN: Colorful lantern festival activities around Taiwan including lantern displays, a Disney parade, and the Yan Shui Beehive firecrackers

Record ID: 644137

  • Title: TAIWAN: Colorful lantern festival activities around Taiwan including lantern displays, a Disney parade, and the Yan Shui Beehive firecrackers
  • Date: 6th February 2012
  • Summary: LANTERN DISPLAYS INSIDE THE SUN YAT-SEN MEMORIAL HALL COUPLE TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS IN FRONT OF THE LANTERN DRAGON SHAPED LANTERN (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 28-YEAR-OLD JEFFERY LIAO, SAYING: "Lantern is a very traditional form of art, a lot of the traditional arts were lost because no one preserves them, but lanterns have been well-preserved, and people are even putting more creativity into the lanterns, that's why we can see so many beautiful lanterns here." (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 16-YEAR-OLD HUNG SHIANG-YI, SAYING: "There are so many people, this is different from last year because last year we saw the lanterns in drizzling rain, but we have a clear day today. This puts me into a good mood when looking at the lanterns." DRAGON LANTERN WOMEN POSING IN FRONT OF THE LANTERN DRAGON HEAD
  • Embargoed: 21st February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Taiwan, Province of China
  • Country: Taiwan
  • Topics: Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAE2IKF096FZGQXPGA18JHCFHHL
  • Story Text: A laser light show accompanied by a 21-meter-tall dragon lantern warmed up the Taipei skyline and also lit up the festive spirit on Monday (February 6) as Taiwanese people in the capital and around the island celebrated the annual Lantern Festival.
    In Taiwan, the Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar, which is also the final festival in the Lunar New Year celebrations.
    Lanterns with themes for the Year of the Dragon were displayed in Taipei's Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the City Hall Square, where thousands were attracted to visit.
    "Lantern is a very traditional form of art, a lot of the traditional arts were lost because no one preserves them, but lanterns have been well-preserved, and people are even putting more creativity into the lanterns, that's why we can see so many beautiful lanterns here," said 28-year-old Jeffery Liao, a visitor.
    Sixteen-year-old Hung Shiang-yi said she enjoyed this year's festival more than last year because of the good weather.
    "There are so many people, this is different from last year because last year we saw the lanterns in drizzling rain, but we have a clear day today. This puts me into a good mood when looking at the lanterns," she said.
    Other activities are also hosted around the island.
    In Lukang of the central Changhua County, hundreds of thousands packed the streets to welcome a street parade that kicked-off the island's biggest lantern display show.
    For the first time, Disney characters, from Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy from Japan's DIsney Land greeted the Taiwanese people from their floats.
    Local media estimated more than 800 thousand visitors crowded into the small township for the festivities, which put traffic to a standstill.
    In the southern city of Taitung, one of Taiwan's wildest but least-known rituals marked the end of Lunar New Year with men asked to be showered with - and burned by - fireworks.
    Traditionally, the targets endure the pain to get rid of evil spirits and change their luck for the year ahead.
    The men let themselves get burned to show strength and bring prosperity to the local merchant who hired them.
    The ritual's namesake, Han Dan, is said to be a god of wealth who likes fire but fears the cold, so believers throw firecrackers to please him.
    A volunteer emerged from the ritual with small burns all over their largely unclothed bodies after letting about 30 men throw handfuls of firecrackers at him while he rode a carriage.
    All the men were "bombed" for about two minutes each as onlookers applauded, while ducking the flaming debris of firecrackers that missed their marks.
    Despite the risks, Taitung, which has a population of around 240,000, has allowed the ritual to be held for most of the past 50 years and has even started to promote it as a tourist attraction.
    Some spectators go just for fun. Others see the event as maintaining tradition.
    In a similar way, people in Tainan put on full protection gears and get hit by the Yan Shui beehive firecrackers.
    Large towers, also called beehives, are built to host firecrackers that shoot in all directions and twirl like flying bees.
    The tradition dates back to the 19th century when Yan Shui township was jeopardized by a serious plague for many years.
    Residents hosted a three-day temple festival to pray for end of plagues with firecrackers which are believed to bring good luck and show respect to the gods.
    Today, plagues no longer trouble local residents, and new meanings are attached to this healing miracle. Many believe the more firecrackers hitting on the body, the more good luck it will bring in the upcoming year.
    But while the crowd is eager to be hit by luck, this event could be dangerous without proper protections. Most participants are covered from head to toe with helmets, masks, gloves and heavy jackets.
    Taiwan is a hotbed of traditional Chinese culture, honoring the two-week festivities that mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year with mass displays of lanterns.
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