ChiangKaiShek-MemorialHall-LanternFestival

The Taiwan Lantern Festival () is an annual event hosted by the

Tourism Bureau The Tourism Bureau, MOTC () is the government agency under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Taiwan (Republic of China) responsible for the administration of domestic and international tourism policy making, execution and de ...

of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

to celebrate the

Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival ( zh, t=元宵節, s=元宵节, first=t, hp=Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival ( zh, t=上元節, s=上元节, first=t, hp=Shàngyuán jié), is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth d ...

. Many activities are held across Taiwan during the Lantern Festival; thousands of sky lanterns are lit over

Pingxi District Pingxi District (; also spelled Pinghsi), is a rural district in New Taipei, Taiwan. The source of the Keelung River is in Jingtong, which is inside Pingxi District. It was an important coal mining town in the early 20th century. Its populatio ...

(平溪). In

Yanshuei District Yanshuei District, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (), alternatively spelled Yanshui, is a district in Tainan, Taiwan, which is famous for its notoriously dangerous fireworks festival. The annual event commemorates a cho ...

, the

firecracker A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental to ...

s ceremony of the Wumiao Temple is also one of the important activities. The notoriously dangerous Tainan Yanshuei Fireworks Display, also known as the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, ("beehive of fireworks") was originally celebrated to ward off evil and disease from the town. The Taipei Pingxi Sky Lanterns were released originally to let others know that the town was safe. These lanterns are decorated with wishes and images relating to the owner. These two events are known together as "Fireworks in the South, Sky Lanterns in the North."

History

Starting from 1990, the Tourism Bureau integrated civilian and local governmental

resources Resource refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants. Resources can broadly be classified upon their av ...

to conduct the event to celebrate the

(15th day of the first month in the

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, t ...

) and the end of the lunar new year. The purpose of the festival is to spread the traditional

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. It is also known as the Yuan Xiao Festival. The firecrackers ceremony of the Wumiao temple in

was held by ancient people, to show respect for the exploits of

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

. Fengpao is the ceremony to launch thousands of soaring firecrackers, hung on a wooden stand 5–25 metres high. This ceremony starts from six o'clock in the afternoon until five o'clock in the morning. Thousands of people and visitors attend the ceremony. The festival is the most important annual lantern festival in Taiwan. Prior to 2001, the event was held at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

. Since 2001, the event has toured Taiwan.

Time and locations

*1990: February 10~12,

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall () is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei. The monument, surrou ...

Taipei City Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

. *1991: March 1~3, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1992: February 12~18, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1993: February 6~8, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1994: February 24~27, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1995: February 14~16, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1996: March 4~6, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1997: February 21~23, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1998: February 11~15, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *1999: March 2~7, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *2000: February 19~27, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei City. *2001: February 7~14,

Love River The Love River or Ai River () is a river (canal) in southern Taiwan. It originates in Renwu District, Kaohsiung City, and flows through Kaohsiung to Kaohsiung Harbor. Love River is the spine of Kaohsiung, playing a similar role to the River Tham ...

Kaohsiung City Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohs ...

. *2002: February 26~March 3, Love River, Kaohsiung City. *2003: February 15~23,

Taichung Park The Taichung Park () is an urban park in North District, Taichung, Taiwan. It is the oldest park in Taichung. It was built when Taiwan was under Japanese rule and is also called “Chungshan Park” (). History The park, originally called , ...

and Jingguo Blvd.,

Taichung City Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Tai ...

. *2004: February 5~15, Banqiao City,

Taipei County New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...

(Now is

Banqiao District Banqiao District () is a district and the seat of New Taipei City, Taiwan. It has the third-highest population density in Taiwan, with over . Until the creation of New Taipei City, Banqiao (then transliterated as Banciao or Pan-ch'iao) was an ...

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...

). *2005: February 23~March 6, Anping Coastal History Park,

Tainan City Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of his ...

. *2006: February 12~26, Anping Coastal History Park, Tainan City. *2007: March 3~11, Taibao City,

Chiayi County Chiayi County ( Mandarin pinyin: ''jiā yì xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Ka-gī-koān'') is a county in southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City. It is the sixth largest county in Taiwan. Name The former Chinese placename wa ...

. *2008: February 21~March 2,

Southern Taiwan Science Park The Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP; ) is a science park established by the government of Taiwan. It consists of Tainan Science Park and Kaohsiung Science Park , covering and , respectively. Overview The science park was first proposed at an ...

Tainan County Tainan County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Sinying City. History Tainan County was established on 7 January 1946 on the territory of Tainan Prefecture () shortly after the end of World War II ...

(Now is merged into Tainan City). *2009: February 9~22, Yilan Sports Park,

Yilan City Yilan City ( Mandarin pinyin: ''Yílán Shì''; Hokkien POJ: ''Gî-lân-chhī'') is a county-administered city and the county seat of Yilan County, Taiwan Province, Republic of China. The city lies on the north side of the Lanyang River. H ...

, Yilan County. *2010: February 28~March 7, Chiayi Park,

Chiayi City Chiayi (, Taigi POJ: ''Ka-gī''; ), officially known as Chiayi City, is a city located in the plains of southwestern Taiwan. Formerly called ''Kagee'' during the late Qing dynasty and ''Kagi'' during the Japanese era (), its historical name ...

. *2011: February 17~28, Zhunan and Toufen Sports Park, Miaoli County. *2012: February 6~19, Lukang Township,

Changhua County Changhua County ( Mandarin Pinyin: ''Zhānghuà Xiàn''; Wade-Giles: ''Chang¹-hua⁴ Hsien⁴''; Hokkien POJ: ''Chiang-hòa-koān'' or ''Chiong-hòa-koān'') is the smallest county on the main island of Taiwan by area, and the fourth small ...

. *2013: February 24~March 10, THSR Hsinchu Station,

Zhubei City Zhubei ( Wade-Giles: ''Chupei''; Hakka PFS: ''Chuk-pet''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tek-pak'') is a city in the nation of Taiwan. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in Taiwan, with a population gain of 51,000 between 2010 and 2019, the highest ...

, Hsinchu County. *2014: February 14~23,

Zhongxing New Village Zhongxing New Village, sometimes rendered as Chunghsing New Village is an urban village located in Nantou City, Nantou County, Taiwan (ROC) and was until 2018, when the Taiwan Provincial Government was abolished, was the seat of government of ...

, Nantou County. *2015: March 5~15,

THSR Taichung Station Taichung HSR () is a railway and metro station in Wuri District, Taichung, Taiwan. It is served by Taiwan High Speed Rail and the Green Line of the Taichung Metro. The station is adjacent to Xinwuri Station of Taiwan Railway Administration. ...

, Taichung Park and

Fengyuan District Fengyuan District () is a district located in north-central Taichung, Taiwan on the south bank of the Dajia River. Fengyuan district is the third most populated district among former Taichung County, ranking after Dali and Taiping district. Fen ...

. *2016: February 22~March 6, THSR Taoyuan Station,

Taoyuan City Taoyuan () is a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in northwestern Taiwan, neighboring New Taipei City to the north-east, Yilan County to the south-east, and Hsinchu County to the south-west. Taoyuan Distr ...

. *2017: February 11~19, THSR Yunlin Station,

Yunlin County Yunlin County ( Mandarin pinyin: ''Yúnlín Xiàn''; Taigi POJ: ''Hûn-lîm-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Yùn-lìm-yen'') is a county in western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County ...

. *2018: February 16~March 11, Taibao City,

*2019: February 19~March 3,

Pingtung City Pingtung City (; Hokkien POJ: ''Pîn-tong-chhī'') is a county-administered city and the county seat of Pingtung County, Taiwan. History The area of modern-day Pingtung City was originally a village of the Taiwanese Plains Aborigines which th ...

, Pingtung County *2020: February 8~23, Wen-Hsin Forest Park, Houli Forest Expo Site and Houli Horse Ranch,

*2021: December 17~26, Wanhua,

(rescheduled) *2022: February 1~28, Weiwuying and Love River Bay,

Festival meaning

Taiwanese people write their wishes on the lanterns with a belief to bring an abundant crop. Women wish for a new son to earn more hands to work. These lanterns fly to the sky, bring their wishes to the gods, and alternatively speak all dreams for them that being blessed with luck and good things.

Potential environmental harm

Though they may be beautiful, even biodegradable lanterns can be incredibly harmful to both the environment and wildlife. Sky lantern litter takes a considerable time to decompose, and the wire frames have been known to strangle and maim wild animals and livestock. They also pose a significant fire hazard.

Main lantern

The theme of the main lanterns often corresponds with the

zodiac signs In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. ...

Chinese astrology Chinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. Chinese astrology came to flourish during the Han Dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD). Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the ...

. All of them are over 10 metres tall. Since 1999, every main lantern has its own theme music which is about 3 minutes in length and plays the rhythm when making performances during Taiwan Lantern Festival.

References

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taipei, Taiwan
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External links

Taiwan Lantern Festival

Tourism Bureau, Taiwan

2011 Taiwan Lantern Festival in MIAOLI
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114317/http://www.taiwan.net.tw/2011taiwanlantern/1/ , date=2016-03-04 The lanterns depict images such as historical figures, birds, or of the theme determined each year. 1990 establishments in Taiwan Festivals in Taiwan Recurring events established in 1990 Lantern Festival