In Taiwan, the sky lights up as the Lantern Festival approaches

Taiwan's skies have been lit up in recent days as the Lantern Festival approaches. This year, the big event is scheduled to take place on February 19, but the lanterns have already started to fly in the air in some villages of the island. This is particularly the case in Pingxi, where visitors flock to have the chance to see their wishes fly away.

"In Pingxi, we have the cultural tradition of releasing lanterns. Today,people can write their wishes and hopes on the paper lanterns, such as wishing for safety and good health in the New Year," Chen Ching-fang, a manager at the New Taipei City Tourism Office, told AFP. The only thing left to do is to let the lanterns go and wish for the wishes to come true.

"We left home at five o'clock this morning to come here, to make sure we had a placeto release a lantern. We wanted to wish for the return of our cat who got lost two years ago," said resident Anne Chen.

A popular tourist attraction

The lantern festival is celebrated every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, which this year falls on 19 February and coincides with a full moon, heralding an even more magical spectacle. This festival usually lasts for about ten days during which families gather around innumerable lanterns of various shapes and sizes.

This celebration, which marks the end of the Chinese New Year, also features dragon dances, acrobatic performances and folk art demonstrations. What was once a tradition has now become a major tourist attraction that draws many visitors to Taiwan each year.

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