What is it about bright lights in a night sky that captivates people of all ages across all cultures? The draw is so deeply embedded in our universal consciousness that 100,000 revelers, Jules and I attended the annual Pingxi Lantern Festival in Taipei last night. At this event, people can release burning lanterns into the sky to mark the last day of the Lunar New Year.
Before we even moved to Taiwan I knew that come hell or high water I was going to make it to the Pingxi Lantern Festival. If you Google some of the professional photos taken at this event you’ll understand why. Sadly and unexpectedly, Philip had to leave for work sooner than predicted, so the three of us weren’t able to enjoy this magical event together. Logistically, I had to hustle and figure out a way to secure the event tickets at the venue, come back to pick up Jules from school and then travel back to the venue by launch time. Let’s see…1, 2, 3…yes, I have 27 hours in a day!
- 4:45 AM Wake up
- 5:30-7:45AM Taxi to train station, train to Ruifang to transfer to train to Shifen (venue location)
- 7:45-7:49AM Walk to the venue to wait on line for tickets
- 7:49-7:53AM Run my ass off once I see 200 Japanese tourists across the street walking briskly in the same direction
- 7:53-10:00AM Try to catch my breath while patting myself on the back for being 4th on line (the first person on line got there at 6AM!); shift my weight to keep the circulation going while standing still for two hours
- 10:00AM Success!! I feel like I’ve scored one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets.
My golden ticket - 10:45AM-1:00PM Train at Shifen to train at Ruifang to go back to Taipei, taxi back home in time to kiss Philip goodbye
- 3:30-6:15PM Pick Jules up from school; taxi to shuttle bus for venue; shuttle bus to venue
- 6:15-7:30PM Ooh and aah at lantern launches before ours
- 7:30-8:30PM Enter staging area where we write wishes & hopes on the lantern before the final launch of the evening
Our wishes: Judy – things unfold as we desire; Jules – good health for our family, friends & us; Philip – England wins the World Cup - 8:30-8:32PM Feel like we’re in a fantastical parallel universe full of hope and happiness
- 8:32-8:33PM Remember that we have to get on line for the shuttle bus back to Taipei
- 8:33-11:02PM Wait on shuttle bus line, shuttle bus to Taipei, taxi back home
- 11:03PM Jules passes out
- 11:04-1:10AM Chat with Philip, download photos, text
- 1:11AM Lights out
So, was it all worth it? For Jules and me, absolutely. If you’re not into standing for long periods of time, are agoraphobic or are unduly concerned about the possibility of a “fireball of death” (FOD) landing on you from the sky, then I’d say stick with the video I’ve included at the end.
This photo of a “fireball of death,” as Jules named it, was taken by him shortly before I grabbed him away from it. Since the lanterns contain a fuel cell in the middle, they burn pretty darn hot to allow them to float and linger in the sky. As the fuel cell burns up, though, what goes up must come down. Jules and I took turns on FOD duty watching the sky and yelling “incoming” whenever there was one close by. Unfortunately, while everyone was focused on looking down and writing on their lanterns for the final launch, a FOD landed on a lady’s arm behind us and the medics had to tend to her mild burn. Besides people, the FODs landed on trees, atop wooden buildings….crazy talk, right? This is the only area in Taiwan where lantern launches are allowed, since it’s one of the wettest areas in Taiwan, so no one seemed especially concerned. Oh, and just to keep things super exciting, an active railroad cuts through town, so you have to watch out for both FODs and trains. As an alternative to the jam-packed lantern festival people can come to this area anytime during the year to release lanterns on the railroad track, but it’s not the same as 150 lanterns being launched simultaneously.
An event of this magnitude certainly left a few impressions on me. When we first arrived at the event I thought, oh, this is where all of Taiwan’s foreigners/tourists/老外 decided to go for the evening. I was slightly surprised by the lack of locals at the event, but then I remembered that most people freezing their bums off in Times Square on New Year’s Eve aren’t locals either. Unfortunately, the ‘ugly American tourist’ cliché revealed itself when a group of young American guys pushed their way to the front of our launch group despite the fact that everyone had been standing for a long time. Ah, that’s why fellow American backpackers used to sew Canadian flag patches onto their bags while traveling throughout Europe.
On a brighter note, I was awestruck by the friendliness of the event staff. But, Judy, haven’t you mentioned before the friendly nature of the Taiwanese people? Oh, no, this was like a souped up Whole Foods’ cashier in LA kinda’ thing goin’ on. These people had been dealing with tens of thousands of tourists all day, and yet, they were all smiles and genuinely seemed to enjoy helping launchers set up their lanterns. I know, very confusing. Not only was I pooped by the time we entered the staging area, I was also perplexed by the staff’s jubilant energy, which explained the frown on my face. The next thing I knew there was a man behind a video camera waving his arms frantically at me, gesturing for me to smile. Why is this maniac trying to get me to smile? Pan over to the JumboTron where I see my grimacing face. Oh, oops.
But, of course, I saved the best for last…the spectacle. It felt like being in a fairy tale. In an area soaked with constant rainfall, we felt blessed with such cool, clear weather. At each of the eight launches during the evening, invariably, every single person would stop wherever they were to look up and marvel at the magic floating above them. Simply enchanting. Now, if England wins the World Cup, then this may become an annual pilgrimage for Philip.
