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The Sky Lantern Festival in the Pingxi District of New Taipei city is a major part of the Lantern Festival celebrated in Taiwan. The people release lanterns into the night sky in hopes of a good fortune for the New Year. This year, the festival has attracted a crowd of 150, 000 from all over the world.
The theme for this year’s festival held on Feb 6th is "Joy and peace with warm-hearts." The people will let loose 1600 lanterns in total. On a 6 meter tall giant lantern, the recently re-elected leader Ma Ying-jeou wrote "Dragon in the sky offers protection to Taiwan."
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| People release sky lanterns to celebrate the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival in Pingxi, Xinbei city, northern Taiwan, January 28, 2012. |
Released with the other lanterns in the night sky, it is a truly a sight to behold. Many of the crowd gathered here are young people seeking romance and rekindle relationships.
Visitors said, "I Wish we could be together forever!" "As do I!"
Some have even come from overseas. Writing their blessings and wishes on the lanterns, participating in what is traditionally a Chinese practice.
A visitor from Japan said, "Blessings on everyone."
Behind all the beauty of the lanterns, is careful and wise craftsmanship. The lanterns are made of cotton paper and bamboo, which allows hot air to fill up, and the bamboo ring at the bottom holds 12 sheets of paper money at the center as the wick. Once the paper money starts burning, the lantern is held on the ground for a minute then released up into the sky.
As the lanterns are carried on the wind, the tradition is carried on to the next generation.
