Visiting an ancient Taiwanese village to release sky lanterns for good luck in the new year.

Traveling to Taiwan has always been a dream for many young travel enthusiasts, especially those who wish to witness the breathtaking sight of 10,000 shimmering lanterns floating in the sky at the Pingxi Lantern Festival in Taipei.

The origins of the sky lantern festival

Each festival is usually associated with the wishes and hopes of the people for something in particular. The Sky Lantern Festival originated from the Taiwanese people's desire to protect each other.

Sky lanterns have been associated with the Chinese people since ancient times. According to legend, during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang (Kong Ming) created sky lanterns to send secret military messages. Because the shape of the lanterns resembled his hat, they were also known as "Kong Ming lanterns".

The custom of releasing sky lanterns flourished once again in the mid-19th century when townspeople were constantly attacked by bandits. To ensure their safety, after each harvest season, people would gather and hide their possessions before migrating into the forest for refuge. When they felt safe, the men would return from the hills and forests to scout the situation. Once they were certain everything was safe and the people could return home, the men would make lanterns and release them into the sky to signal to those in hiding that it was time to return home.

The repeated practice over the years has formed a tradition among Taiwanese people of releasing sky lanterns, conveying a message of peace and calling for those far away to find their way home. Because of the humanistic nature of releasing sky lanterns, this practice has been maintained and spread throughout Taiwan at specific times, attracting many tourists to explore it today. The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival has become one of the warmest and most joyful events in Taiwan. Pingxi is one of the few places in Taiwan where people are allowed to release lanterns because the mountainous terrain and water prevent them from flying too far.

Although the event has been taking place for over 100 years, the city of New Taipei City only officially organized the festival in 1999. However, visitors are allowed to come and release lanterns at any time of the year.

Release your dreams and hopes into the sky.

Most festivals in Vietnam, as well as in other Asian countries including Taiwan, take place at the beginning of the new year. The Lantern Festival in Taiwan typically runs from mid-January to early March. Interestingly, Taiwanese lanterns come in a wide variety of shapes and colors, making them anything but boring and highly attractive to tourists. Visitors can make or buy lanterns along Shifen Old Street, in various colors, sizes, and designs, write their wishes on them, and release them into the sky.

The lanterns are made from bamboo strips bent into a basket shape, covered with a thin layer of paper. Inside is a cotton ball soaked in oil. When the cotton ball is lit, the lantern glows and heats the air inside, causing it to float upwards, just like a miniature hot air balloon. The feeling of an entire night sky illuminated by thousands of sparkling lanterns is certainly an experience you've never had before.

For safety reasons, visitors should have a shop assistant light the lantern. Here, locals usually use soybean oil instead of kerosene. This ensures the lantern is stable and doesn't fly too high. Sky lanterns also have a circumference of no more than 60 cm. Anyone wishing to have a larger lantern needs to obtain a permit.

Things to keep in mind when attending the festival.

• Arrive early to avoid the crowds.

Known as a typical and famous festival of Taiwanese tourism, the Pingxi Lantern Festival attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists. Therefore, you might find yourself stuck in crowds of locals and tourists from all over the world. You can choose to take a train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang Station, then transfer to the Pingxi Line and get off at Shifen to avoid the crowds or, worse, missing your train.

• Bring a camera.

Bringing a good camera to the Pingxi Lantern Festival is definitely the best thing you can do on your trip. There's nothing more regrettable than missing these breathtaking moments, as the sight of thousands of lanterns illuminating the Taipei night sky resembles a scene from Disney's famous Tangled movie.

• Take a stroll around the old towns of Jiufen and Shifen.

While waiting for the Pingxi Lantern Festival to take place, visitors can hike to Shifen Waterfall, admire the stunning natural scenery of Taipei, or try and fill their stomachs with delicious Chinese street food in the famous Jiufen Old Town.

Visitors can experience the slow, leisurely pace of life in this old coal mining village. Neighbors know each other well and often freely bring their own pots to each other's houses to cook meals together. You can enjoy everything from traditional homemade fish balls to peanut butter ice cream rolls, sip oolong tea, or sample traditional Taiwanese snacks like pineapple cakes or brown sugar mochi.

• Environmental protection

To address the problem of used sky lanterns getting stuck on mountain slopes, an on-site recycling program has been organized. You can follow locals to shops to exchange old, used sky lanterns for items like toilet paper or cleaning supplies. Tourists can also join mountain climbing groups to retrieve sky lanterns stuck at higher altitudes.

• Unfavorable weather

If visitors arrive on a rainy day, they can choose other options. For about $1, visitors can write their wishes on a piece of bamboo and hang them along the fences in the village.

Visitors can opt for a digital lantern, the most environmentally friendly choice. For less than $5, you write or draw your wish on a card. It will then be inflated inside an LED lantern placed outside the police station. This LED lantern is 9 meters tall and approximately 4 meters wide, made from 200,000 LED bulbs.

Yen Nhi