Jaunted

Lantern Festival in South Taiwan

For the first time, the national Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held
in Chiayi County, attracting visitors from around the island. The
location of the festival, to run from March 4 to March 11, will be in
the town of Taibao, just a short distance from the main train station
in Chiayi City and very close to the new High Speed Railway station in
Taibao itself. So getting to the Lantern Festival will be easy this
year, and you can arrive by car, bus, bullet train, regular train or
even by air. Chiayi Airport is also located in Taibao, so the festival
grounds will be easy to get to.

Chunghwa Telecom is the sponsor of the event this year and the theme
is "Peace and Prosperity," two things that Taiwan sorely needs in
2007.  This is the Year of the Pig, so the main floats in the festival
will depict domestic pigs, wild boars and mountain pigs. The main
Lantern will be over 18 meters tall and weigh over 20 tons, according
to festival organizers, who are hoping for a big turn-out in the
southern Taiwan county of Chiayi, not far from Taichiung and
Tainan.There will be parades, hand-held lanterns for children and
music to heigten the atmosphere.

Held on the first full-moon night of the lunar year, the Lantern
Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Taiwan. The festival
is celebrated nationwide with lantern making, lantern riddle games,
and displays of glittering decorative lanterns. The national festival
in Chiayi this year will be the focus on TV and media coverage
islandwide.

The traditional festival food is ''tangyuan'', also called
''yuansiao''. These are glutinous rice dumplings with sweet or savory
stuffings. Tangyuan come in many different choices of flavors.

The origin of the Lantern festival lies in the festive activities of
an agricultural people celebrating the lengthening of daylight hours
and the coming of spring after the New Year. Other legends have it
that the festival was actually started by an emperor of the Han
Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.), who was a devout Buddhist and who
ordered his people to display lights on the fifteenth night of the
first month of the lunar year to pay respects to Buddha.

According to the same legend, holding torches or lanterns on this
night makes it easier to see deities descending from heaven to give
blessings to the Earth. Yet another legend has it that in the Tang
dynasty, the emperors would celebrate the festival by ordering
hundreds of beautiful women to sing and dance with lanterns in the
brightly lit plaza. These festive activities gradually spread to the
common people and developed into the most popular festival in the year
after Chinese New Year. Nowadays the festival lasts for a week. So
come to Chiayi for the March 4-11 Lantern Festival and bring your
camera.

Many lantern festival events are held all over Taiwan to promote local
tourism. In 1990, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau held the first Taipei
Lantern Festival, which injected a whole new life into the event. It
has become a major tourist event in Taiwan over the years. The Lantern
Festival in Chiayi this March will be something to write home about,
too.

The Chiayi event will sure to attract tens of thousands of people from
around Taiwan and other countries in the region, making it one of the
biggest tourist highlights in Asia this year.

Last year the festival was held in Tainan and attracted around 3
million people to marvel at an array of dazzling lanterns of all
shapes and sizes. This year's organizers have promised to make the
festival the grandest and biggest ever with even more new ideas - this
guarantees an event you'll not want to miss. Because 2007 is the Year
of the Pig according to the Chinese zodiac, the main theme lantern
will come in the likeness of a pig illuminated by an elaborate show of
lasers and music.

In addition to the main theme lantern, the smaller side shows of
lanterns are very often just as attractive and fascinating. These
smaller lanterns are local competition winners. Many cultural
activities are also planned for next year's lantern festival,
including music, dance, and theatrical performances. Next year the
organizers will introduce two firsts which are expected to be very
popular with visitors. An international circus will entertain the
crowds with clowns, acrobatics, animal tricks and much more. The
second new addition is a Ferris wheel, which will take visitors high
above the festival site to appreciate the glittering lanterns from a
different angle. Should anyone feel hungry while strolling and
browsing the lanterns, a food arcade selling local specialties and
snacks will be available. For those who want to take home souvenirs
and great memories of the event, the street of folk-art handicraft
booths will be the ideal place to wrap up the day.

In addition to the Lantern Festival in Chiayi this year, there are
many more colorful, exotic and exciting festivals celebrated around
Taiwan in the first lunar month. It is a great time for visitors who
want to experience authentic Taiwanese culture, hospitality, customs
and delicious local festive cuisine and snacks.

On 2/1/07, help@jaunted.com <help@jaunted.com> wrote:
For the first time, the national Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held
in Chiayi County, attracting visitors from around the island. The
location of the festival, to run from March 4 to March 11, will be in
the town of Taibao, just a short distance from the main train station
in Chiayi City and very close to the new High Speed Railway station in
Taibao itself. So getting to the Lantern Festival will be easy this
year, and you can arrive by car, bus, bullet train, regular train or
even by air. Chiayi Airport is also located in Taibao, so the festival
grounds will be easy to get to.

Chunghwa Telecom is the sponsor of the event this year and the theme
is "Peace and Prosperity," two things that Taiwan sorely needs in
2007.  This is the Year of the Pig, so the main floats in the festival
will depict domestic pigs, wild boars and mountain pigs. The main
Lantern will be over 18 meters tall and weigh over 20 tons, according
to festival organizers, who are hoping for a big turn-out in the
southern Taiwan county of Chiayi, not far from Taichiung and
Tainan.There will be parades, hand-held lanterns for children and
music to heigten the atmosphere.

Held on the first full-moon night of the lunar year, the Lantern
Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Taiwan. The festival
is celebrated nationwide with lantern making, lantern riddle games,
and displays of glittering decorative lanterns. The national festival
in Chiayi this year will be the focus on TV and media coverage
islandwide.

The traditional festival food is ''tangyuan'', also called
''yuansiao''. These are glutinous rice dumplings with sweet or savory
stuffings. Tangyuan come in many different choices of flavors.

The origin of the Lantern festival lies in the festive activities of
an agricultural people celebrating the lengthening of daylight hours
and the coming of spring after the New Year. Other legends have it
that the festival was actually started by an emperor of the Han
Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.), who was a devout Buddhist and who
ordered his people to display lights on the fifteenth night of the
first month of the lunar year to pay respects to Buddha.

According to the same legend, holding torches or lanterns on this
night makes it easier to see deities descending from heaven to give
blessings to the Earth. Yet another legend has it that in the Tang
dynasty, the emperors would celebrate the festival by ordering
hundreds of beautiful women to sing and dance with lanterns in the
brightly lit plaza. These festive activities gradually spread to the
common people and developed into the most popular festival in the year
after Chinese New Year. Nowadays the festival lasts for a week. So
come to Chiayi for the March 4-11 Lantern Festival and bring your
camera.

Many lantern festival events are held all over Taiwan to promote local
tourism. In 1990, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau held the first Taipei
Lantern Festival, which injected a whole new life into the event. It
has become a major tourist event in Taiwan over the years. The Lantern
Festival in Chiayi this March will be something to write home about,
too.

The Chiayi event will sure to attract tens of thousands of people from
around Taiwan and other countries in the region, making it one of the
biggest tourist highlights in Asia this year.

Last year the festival was held in Tainan and attracted around 3
million people to marvel at an array of dazzling lanterns of all
shapes and sizes. This year's organizers have promised to make the
festival the grandest and biggest ever with even more new ideas - this
guarantees an event you'll not want to miss. Because 2007 is the Year
of the Pig according to the Chinese zodiac, the main theme lantern
will come in the likeness of a pig illuminated by an elaborate show of
lasers and music.

In addition to the main theme lantern, the smaller side shows of
lanterns are very often just as attractive and fascinating. These
smaller lanterns are local competition winners. Many cultural
activities are also planned for next year's lantern festival,
including music, dance, and theatrical performances. Next year the
organizers will introduce two firsts which are expected to be very
popular with visitors. An international circus will entertain the
crowds with clowns, acrobatics, animal tricks and much more. The
second new addition is a Ferris wheel, which will take visitors high
above the festival site to appreciate the glittering lanterns from a
different angle. Should anyone feel hungry while strolling and
browsing the lanterns, a food arcade selling local specialties and
snacks will be available. For those who want to take home souvenirs
and great memories of the event, the street of folk-art handicraft
booths will be the ideal place to wrap up the day.

In addition to the Lantern Festival in Chiayi this year, there are
many more colorful, exotic and exciting festivals celebrated around
Taiwan in the first lunar month. It is a great time for visitors who
want to experience authentic Taiwanese culture, hospitality, customs
and delicious local festive cuisine and snacks.

For the first time, the national Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held
in Chiayi County, attracting visitors from around the island. The
location of the festival, to run from March 4 to March 11, will be in
the town of Taibao, just a short distance from the main train station
in Chiayi City and very close to the new High Speed Railway station in
Taibao itself. So getting to the Lantern Festival will be easy this
year, and you can arrive by car, bus, bullet train, regular train or
even by air. Chiayi Airport is also located in Taibao, so the festival
grounds will be easy to get to.

Chunghwa Telecom is the sponsor of the event this year and the theme
is "Peace and Prosperity," two things that Taiwan sorely needs in
2007.  This is the Year of the Pig, so the main floats in the festival
will depict domestic pigs, wild boars and mountain pigs. The main
Lantern will be over 18 meters tall and weigh over 20 tons, according
to festival organizers, who are hoping for a big turn-out in the
southern Taiwan county of Chiayi, not far from Taichiung and
Tainan.There will be parades, hand-held lanterns for children and
music to heigten the atmosphere.

Held on the first full-moon night of the lunar year, the Lantern
Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Taiwan. The festival
is celebrated nationwide with lantern making, lantern riddle games,
and displays of glittering decorative lanterns. The national festival
in Chiayi this year will be the focus on TV and media coverage
islandwide.

The traditional festival food is ''tangyuan'', also called
''yuansiao''. These are glutinous rice dumplings with sweet or savory
stuffings. Tangyuan come in many different choices of flavors.

The origin of the Lantern festival lies in the festive activities of
an agricultural people celebrating the lengthening of daylight hours
and the coming of spring after the New Year. Other legends have it
that the festival was actually started by an emperor of the Han
Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.), who was a devout Buddhist and who
ordered his people to display lights on the fifteenth night of the
first month of the lunar year to pay respects to Buddha.

According to the same legend, holding torches or lanterns on this
night makes it easier to see deities descending from heaven to give
blessings to the Earth. Yet another legend has it that in the Tang
dynasty, the emperors would celebrate the festival by ordering
hundreds of beautiful women to sing and dance with lanterns in the
brightly lit plaza. These festive activities gradually spread to the
common people and developed into the most popular festival in the year
after Chinese New Year. Nowadays the festival lasts for a week. So
come to Chiayi for the March 4-11 Lantern Festival and bring your
camera.

Many lantern festival events are held all over Taiwan to promote local
tourism. In 1990, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau held the first Taipei
Lantern Festival, which injected a whole new life into the event. It
has become a major tourist event in Taiwan over the years. The Lantern
Festival in Chiayi this March will be something to write home about,
too.

The Chiayi event will sure to attract tens of thousands of people from
around Taiwan and other countries in the region, making it one of the
biggest tourist highlights in Asia this year.

Last year the festival was held in Tainan and attracted around 3
million people to marvel at an array of dazzling lanterns of all
shapes and sizes. This year's organizers have promised to make the
festival the grandest and biggest ever with even more new ideas - this
guarantees an event you'll not want to miss. Because 2007 is the Year
of the Pig according to the Chinese zodiac, the main theme lantern
will come in the likeness of a pig illuminated by an elaborate show of
lasers and music.

In addition to the main theme lantern, the smaller side shows of
lanterns are very often just as attractive and fascinating. These
smaller lanterns are local competition winners. Many cultural
activities are also planned for next year's lantern festival,
including music, dance, and theatrical performances. Next year the
organizers will introduce two firsts which are expected to be very
popular with visitors. An international circus will entertain the
crowds with clowns, acrobatics, animal tricks and much more. The
second new addition is a Ferris wheel, which will take visitors high
above the festival site to appreciate the glittering lanterns from a
different angle. Should anyone feel hungry while strolling and
browsing the lanterns, a food arcade selling local specialties and
snacks will be available. For those who want to take home souvenirs
and great memories of the event, the street of folk-art handicraft
booths will be the ideal place to wrap up the day.

In addition to the Lantern Festival in Chiayi this year, there are
many more colorful, exotic and exciting festivals celebrated around
Taiwan in the first lunar month. It is a great time for visitors who
want to experience authentic Taiwanese culture, hospitality, customs
and delicious local festive cuisine and snacks.

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