Special Events in Taiwan

New Year
January 1 is a national holiday. The whole nation will be celebrating the coming of the New Year; typically, what happens is that every city will have its own countdown party at certain location. If you wish to participate, ask around!

Taiwanese people still use the lunar calendar in their daily lives. The following three major family holidays are celebrated in Taiwan. Usually people will have days off from work or school to be with their families.

Spring Festival
Taiwanese people still celebrate Lunar New Year. The Spring Festival is from New Year's Eve and the two weeks after that. It is usually the end of the January or early February. During the Spring Festival, many businesses will be closed, but there will be a lot of activities arranged by the government and private organizations. Usually the New Year's Eve, people spend time with their families so there won't be too many things happening on the streets, but many restaurants will have special dishes for the day to celebrate the coming of New Year.

Before the New Year's Eve, people also go to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall to get red banners (Chunglien) written by contemporary well-known calligraphers so they can post for the Lunar New Year. During the Spring Festival, many events are planned by various organizations to celebrate Lunar New Year. When I used to go to those activities, I often felt that everyone who lived in Taiwan came to Taipei. There was one time I was so pissed by the traffic and I walked two hours home from the City Hall. One highlight during the Spring Festival is that people can get Hongbao (red envelope with money in it) from elders, and sometimes you can get a Hongbao from businesses that are open during the Spring Festival. They symbolize the luck, wealth and happiness!

Lantern Festival
The last day of the Spring Festival, January 15 on the lunar calendar, is the Lantern Festival. Each year, the Mayor of Taipei City hosts a big party with numerous lanterns at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. Some are old-fashioned, some are new designed. The main lantern is a joint image made by the Chinese astrology sign of the year and other motifs for the excellence. City Hall distributes free lanterns to people who come to celebrate the Festival. The amount is limited so if you wish to get one, you need to arrive early!

Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boat Racing is the biggest event on this day. The Festival is May 5 on the lunar calendar. Taipei hosts one of the International Dragon Boat Racings at the Danshui River. (Same competitions are ongoing on the same day in many other cities, but if you choose to hang out in Taipei, this is where you will be going to take part in this event.) Ride the Metro Danshui Line to Danshui station and follow the crowd and noise. There are also many traditional customs that need to be done on this day, and they usually happen in the temples. Sometimes walking down the streets, you can smell Zhongzi (rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves) - the traditional food for the Festival.

Moon Festival
Moon Festival is another important family holiday in Taiwan. It is August 15 on the lunar calendar. Moon cake is an important food for the day, as well as shaddocks. Barbeque has become another major activity for Taiwanese people on this day. Believe it or not, the tradition began with a TV commercial for Barbeque source. Basically, the idea for Moon Festival is getting together with family members and hanging out all day and then watch the moon at night. The moon should be the roundest and brightest of the year on this day and symbolize the wholeness. There are many legends about the moon in Taiwan. I remember when I was little, my grandparents usually tell the moon stories on this day and we will camp on our front yard where usually used for drying the grains.