NEW TAIPEI, Taiwan — On Wednesday, thousands in Taiwan and China marked the Lantern Festival by sending paper lanterns into the sky, exploring light displays, and enjoying traditional glutinous rice dumplings.
This festive occasion signifies the conclusion of the Lunar New Year celebrations and occurs annually on the 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar.
At the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in northern Taiwan, participants braved the rain to illuminate and observe their wish lanterns. Among them were Mae Alegonero and Shine Ceralvo, two friends from the Philippines residing in central Taiwan, who decided to join the festivities after seeing the popular floating lanterns on TikTok.
“You experience this once in a lifetime,” Alegonero remarked while waiting under an umbrella for the activities to commence with her friend.
Some attendees traveled from distant places, including Europe and Latin America, to witness the captivating view of paper lanterns adorning the night sky firsthand.
Villagers in Taiwan have a rich history with paper lanterns, which they began using over a century ago as a signal for safe return after bandits had invaded their communities. Today, these lanterns symbolize aspirations for peace and prosperity in the coming year.
Charlotte Cadinot, a French exchange student, was inspired by the enchanting wish lanterns after watching Disney’s “Tangled,” which depicts Princess Rapunzel making wishes on lanterns floating above a lake.
Cadinot and her boyfriend, Remi Delmas, took inspiration from this scene and crafted their own shared wish, which they released into the night sky on a lantern.
The festival featured a series of nine lantern releases interspersed with music and dance performances. Highlighting the event were two massive pink and golden snake-shaped lanterns, each measuring 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall, showcasing the significance of the Year of the Snake.
In China, while the Lantern Festival was also celebrated, the release of large paper lanterns wasn’t part of any official events. Instead, festivities centered around savoring glutinous rice dumplings — the highlight of the celebration — and visiting expansive light shows throughout the city.
The most impressive display occurred at the Beijing Garden Expo Park, where over 10,000 light installations with various themes and sizes delighted visitors.
Some of the displays reached heights of 60 feet (18 meters) and illustrated a range of imagery from cultural landmarks and traditional symbols like the God of Fortune, dragons, and phoenixes, to contemporary interpretations like a cyberpunk-style Beijing opera headdress.
