The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations and is held on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar Calender. Also named Yuan Xiao, this celebration is held on the first full moon of the New Year and symbolizes the coming of Spring.
It is an important celebration all around Asia. Family come together to gaze at the moon, solve riddles, drink wine, write poetry, assist at lion dances and dragon dances and of course; light lanterns. It is a time of socializing, freedom and religious belief.
This year, in 2020, the Lantern Festival will be held on the 8th of February in the Gregorian Calender.
Read MoreIf you are in Taiwan during the 10th of October, you might be wondering why there are so many people on the road. The reason: The tenth of October is the National Day. Public holiday for all workers, many people decide to spend their time traveling. This article will explain the origin of this festival and how to be part of the celebration.
This is the Double Ten Festival.
Read MoreAlso called the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Harvest Festival, the Moon Festival is a traditional Asian festival where people spend time with their family and loved ones to eat barbecue outside and eat moon cakes while admiring the moon.
This is the Moon Festival in Taiwan.
Read MoreIf you ever come to Taiwan in August or September, you might notice strange customs like, people avoiding the water on a hot day, massive food offering ceremonies, water lantern lighting, empty front seats at every event, people burning money, parades of people in costumes or even greased poles competition if you go to Yilan or Hengchun. You’ve arrived during Ghost Month Festival!
Taking place for a whole month and celebrated through all of Taiwan (Keelung being the biggest), it is a festival filled with many different local events. This festival is characterised by the belief that the gates to Hell are open and the dead visit the living during this whole month.
Popularised by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, this is one of the 12 major festivals in Taiwan and a fun event to witness to learn more about the local culture. Similar to Halloween, it is quite different. Here’s why:
Read MoreIf you have been in Asia for the past month you’ve probably asked yourself: What is Dragon Boat Festival? Dragon Boat Races all over the island, people eating delicious rice dumplings (Zongzi), egg balancing and carrying scented medicine bags; all those practices makes it one of the most colorful festival in Asia and an event not to miss.
This is the Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan.
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