Lantern Festival is traditionally held on the 15th day of the first lunar month in Taiwan, which also marks the end of the New Year festivities. The ceremony corresponds to the first full moon of the New Year and is a popular event that plays a particularly big role in the township of Pingxi just northeast of Taipei each year.
On that night, crowds of people gather in the tiny former mining town to light and release thousands of colorful balloon-shaped lanterns into the dark sky, creating an enchanting spectacle.
The lanterns are constructed of paper with a wire frame and are fueled by an open-flame candle. They are lavishly decorated with characters and symbols that festival-goers have written, such as for health, luck, peace, happiness, wealth, and success. Young couples, in particular, may be seen generously covering the empty canvas of their lanterns with their hopes for the future.
According to folk tradition, however, lanterns inscribed with too many blessings for the heavens to bestow will quickly succumb to the weight of so many expectations and fall to the earth. Good wishes notwithstanding then, it may be prudent for participants to avoid running the risk of extinguishing their lantern.