Lanterns across Taiwan mark the high point of Lunar New Year celebrations.
Lantern Festival has been celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month for more than two millennia. Its origins can be traced back to myths and legends found in historic records and volumes of literature.
In 1990, the central government launched Taiwan Lantern Festival, the largest of numerous events held across Taiwan for the holiday. While the first 11 editions were held in Taipei City, it has since been staged in a different city or county each year. The latest iteration saw over 180 designs and a variety of performances, including a stunning drone show, illuminate the southern city of Kaohsiung. Local displays have proliferated over the years, including Taipei Lantern Festival and Central Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taichung City first held in 1997 and 1999, respectively.
Traditionally, lanterns created especially for the festival depicted historical figures, mythical beasts and that year’s zodiac animal—2022 is the year of the tiger—but unconventional designs have gained popularity in recent years. The centerpiece of the Kaohsiung event, Blessings in the Brilliant Flight of the Phoenix, is based on the Chinese character for phoenix written in a cursive script.
Lantern Festival marks the culmination of Lunar New Year celebrations. In the agricultural past, this also meant the arrival of tilling and sowing season. Although this connection has largely been forgotten, the occasion still signals the coming of spring to a great many people.
—by Jim Hwang
Both “Symbiosis Garden” and “The Symbiosis” at the Kaohsiung event symbolize the fusion of diverse ethnicities and cultures in Taiwan. (Photos by Pang Chia-shan)
Works by local and international artists cast a glow in parks and open spaces at Taiwan Lantern Festival. (Photos by Pang Chia-shan)
An incredible drone sequence takes to the skies over Kaohsiung. (Photo by Pang Chia-shan)
Passersby read messages up close at this year’s Taipei Lantern Festival as light spills onto the streets throughout Taipei City’s Shilin District. (Photos by Chen Mei-ling)
Pedestrians and scooter riders alike soak up the cheerful atmosphere at Taipei Lantern Festival. (Photos by Chen Mei-ling)
The first light, music and firework show to take place at Taipei Lantern Festival enthralls watchers. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
A creation based on the flower garden at Taipei’s Shilin Residence (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
A lantern display features keywords associated with the local area in Japanese, Korean, English and Chinese. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
Lanterns sponsored by local businesses provide photo opportunities. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
A six-meter-high moving theme lantern is the centerpiece of the Central Taiwan Lantern Festival. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
Vendors hawk an array of handheld lanterns. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)