Taiwan is getting ready to welcome in the Year of the Rat, and local government offices are contributing to the festivities by offering free paper rat lanterns to children.
The fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year is the Lantern Festival. To mark the occasion, the Keelung City Government is giving away rat lanterns that feature a festive flower pattern. People can go to Keelung Tourism Service Centers from February 6 to February 8 to get a free lantern. The city will give away a total of 600 lanterns – first come, first served!
Meanwhile, the Taoyuan City Government will be giving away 10,000 lanterns from January 31 to February 12. They will be giving two different types of paper rats – one that children can walk like a pet and one that they can hold in their hand and twirl around.
Every city and county will greet the Lunar New Year with its own festivities and displays – and free lantern giveaways during the Lantern Festival that follows just a few days later.