One of the highlights of calling Taiwan home for two years was having the special opportunity to experience the local holidays, festivals and celebrations of the island. Some of the festivals told stories of Chinese culture and ancient myths; others commemorated special events from Taiwan's past; and still others were just plain fun!
Should you find yourself in Taiwan during any of its festivals or holidays, you'll find it highly worth your time and energy to attend the local celebrations. The following are five of our favorite festivals in Taiwan, each vastly unique and beautiful (and sometimes even flammable) for their own reasons.
Beehive Fireworks Festival
Every year, visitors flock to Yanshui District to willingly place themselves directly in the target zone of millions of bottle rockets. Sound absolutely crazy? That's because it is.
PHOTO: Participants are showered with bottle rockets, sourced from Steve via Flickr
The festival gets its name for the walled apparatuses of bottle rockets that resemble beehives. Some walls of the rockets can be two stories high by eight meters wide-a seriously large barrage of explosives. After the Taiwanese burn paper ghost money as an offering and symbol of respect for their ancestors, the fuse is lit and the mayhem begins.
Showers of rockets are released into the crowd, and a wild dance ensues as participants jump around the blasts. Traditionally locals viewed getting hit from the rockets as a sign of good luck; the more they got hit, the more luck they would have in the New Year. Today most young Taiwanese participate in the festival for good fun and bragging rights.
This dangerously awesome festival has its roots in a cholera epidemic that ripped through the area nearly two centuries ago. At the time, the people didn't know what to do, so they began releasing fireworks to ward off the sickness. Slowly the cholera began to recede. Today, the explosions are said to keep spirits at bay while restoring peace, social and economic order. There have been some aims to stop the festival because of injuries and fires that result each year, but for the time being, the Beehive Fireworks Festival continues each year on the same day as Lunar Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month).
Calla Lily Festival
If you have a tendency towards flammability, you might find the Calla Lily Festival to be a bit more manageable.
PHOTO: A field of Calla lilies.
Every spring, the small town of Jhuzihu is overcome by white, delicate Calla lilies, as field after field bursts into nearly two million blooms. You can frolic through the fields, pick your own bouquet or just enjoy the idyllic setting. There's not too much else going on here, but the site is still one to behold.
You don't need long to see the blooming fields of flowers, but you can easily pair your visit with a day of hiking through the adjacent Yaminghsan National Park.
Lantern Festival
There are numerous stories about the origin of Lantern Festival, most of which have developed from Taiwanese folklore and religious beliefs. For example, one story tells that thousands of years ago, the Chinese would see dancing deities under the first full moon of the month. On a cloudy night when the deities were no longer visible, all the people gathered their torches in an attempt to illuminate the gods. Lighting up torches-or lanterns-thus became a yearly tradition.
Today's Lantern Festival is primarily a way to promote tourism while carrying on Chinese heritage, including the amazing art of lantern making. From master paper craftsmen to elementary school children, everyone can participate in the creative lantern designs.
PHOTO: Giant lantern at Lantern Festival.
Each year, a different city in Taiwan is invited to host the annual display of paper lanterns, some towering stories above the ground. When we visited Lantern Festival the main attraction was a 20-meter tall serpent lantern in honor of the Year of the Snake. Lantern Festival is held on the 15th day of the lunar year, though celebrations and festivities are held in the days and weeks leading up to this date.
Sand Sculpture Festival
Every summer, international sand sculptors are invited to Fulong Beach on the northern coast of Taiwan for the International Sand Sculpture Festival. They are then given a heap of golden sand to create stunning sand masterpieces, the likes of the following:
PHOTO: Detailed sculptures at the Sand Sculpture Festival.
When the sculptures are finished, they are sprayed with a biodegradable, non-toxic glue to keep the sand safe from the wind and rain so prevalent in Taiwan. And at the end of the festival, the local sand used to create the masterpieces is leveled back down to its original state. There is a different theme each year, but typically there are at least a few sculptures representing Taiwanese life and culture.
Burning Boat Festival
We've saved our favorite for last: Burning Boat Festival.
PHOTO: Burning Boat Festival.
Once every three years, a 14- meter wooden ship is constructed for the sole purpose of burning. After eight days of preparation and celebration, the boat is paraded around the city of Donggang where it collects the sicknesses and ill fortune of the people. It is then stocked with food and necessities for the spiritual journey it will take to the Wang Yeh (folk deities). Finally, the boat is propped upon a giant mound of ghost money (paper money for the gods) on the beach.
PHOTO: Preparing the boat.
Many hours of rhythmic drum beating and traditional ceremonies later, the religious elders take a seat and an eerie silence sweeps over the crowd. And then, just before dawn, right when you weren't sure if it was actually going to happen, the boat is set on fire via military grade firecrackers, purging bad spirits from the town and leaving peace in its place. It's not easy to keep your eyes open until 5 a.m. to finally see the boat lit on fire, but once the riotous cheers and explosives begins, you'll be so very glad you did.
PHOTO: Firecrackers set the boat and bad spirits ablaze.
We tried to list a variety of festivals that are unique to Taiwan and that perhaps you haven't heard of before, but no list would be complete without mentioning Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival-just a couple of extra reasons to entice you to learn more about Taiwan!
So: which festival makes you want to get on a plane right now?
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