Lantern Festival lights up Taiwan night sky

Many more went to other lantern exhibitions organized by local governments in other parts of Taiwan to welcome the traditional Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

The Lantern Festival is more commonly known as “Round Dumpling Festival” by local people because every family prepares auspicious round dumplings to signify all things going well and smoothly for the new year.

The festival, which falls on Feb. 21 this year, also marks the official end of the Chinese New Year holidays in the formerly agrarian society.

This day will see the climax of a wide variety of activities to usher in the spring.

According to the lunar calendar, the Year of the Rat began on Feb. 7.

The night of Taipei now has become even brighter with countless lanterns alight.

This is the first time the Taipei City Government will host the annual event at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park as well as the adjacent City Hall and Xinyi District.

The annual celebration used to be staged at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park, which is now called the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Park.

Many young lovers have already visited the new lantern exhibition on Thursday evening as part of their St. Valentine’s Day activities.

Numerous lanterns are displayed at several major zones featuring seven major themes:

Sun Yat-sen Park

The enormous central lantern of the Year of the Rat is located at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park, which was established to honor the Republic of China’s Founding Father Sun Yat-sen.

The huge lantern is formed by 100 small rat lanterns with a story depicting the wedding ceremony of two rats in love.

There are also 18 other gigantic lanterns designed and created by students which combine traditional culture and modern-day technology.

Concerts will be held every evening at the park to entertain visitors.

Traditional Chinese riddles, mainly a play on Chinese words, will also be held every evening. Winners will be rewarded with prizes.

The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in the park will remain open for longer hours until 9 p.m. from Feb. 15-24. But on Fridays and Saturdays the open hour will be extended further to 10 p.m.

Free rat lanterns

Municipal government staff will give away 10,000 small lanterns at the park’s gate on Renai Road at 2 p.m. everyday until Feb. 21.

The lantern features the animal of this Lunar New Year, an auspicious rat.

The lanterns will also be distributed at City Hall, which will give away a total of 80,000 small lanterns.

The rat is ranked No. 1 of the 12 zodiacal animals of the Chinese lunar calendar for its intelligence, agility and tremendous ability for survive.

These day, there are billions of mice attached to personal computers that help us search and find needed information on the Internet.

Mickey Mouse and Minnie are also among the world’s most popular cartoon characters.

‘Lantern tunnel’

A 1.5-kilometer “lantern tunnel” has been erected on Renai Road, starting from City Hall and finishing at the round circle on Dunhua South Road.

Along the tunnel there are artistic flight or cubic lanterns display, covered with neon and LED lights.

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