The Taiwan Lantern Festival affirms the most primal human affinity for light and celebration, and does it with illuminating charm. This year, over five million people joyfully gathered in Taichung, Taiwan for a sentimental show of handmade illuminated sculptures celebrating the Year of the Ram, or Sheep, or Goat (pick which ever foraging ruminant suits your spirit, which are celebrated for being hardworking, considerate, and persistent). Over one million Taiwanese and international visitors arrived by car, bus, and high-speed rail for the opening night alone. Along with the lanterns, we were all treated to spectacular fireworks, dance and drumming performances and welcoming speeches from the country’s President and Prime Minister and Taichun’s Mayor. 

Photo by Jennifer Whalen

This is the largest of dozens of regional lantern festivals on this island republic of 23 million. Applying LED-technology and modern enthusiasm to an ancient Chinese tradition of making and displaying paper lanterns is a national Taiwanese passion; fancy and fanciful lanterns adorn trees, temples, shop fronts and homes everywhere in observance of the New Year. A few mountain regions of Taiwan continue to use old-fashioned candles; the most famous is the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival , which sends thousands of flame-heated lanterns into the night sky. The lantern festival we visited features large freestanding sculptures which can be safely hung or installed in dense urban settings. 

Photo by Jennifer Whalen

Hundreds of individual displays are set along meandering paths; multigenerational families with strollers and wheelchairs, shy, handholding couples, and high-spirited groups of students weave their way between the lanterns. The subjects are inspired by superheroes, cartoon characters, flowers, animals, and artworks – a Transformers character next to a Taoist god next to a 20-foot-tall Degas dancer, alongside lucky symbols in red and gold. These are delicate temporary sculptures, framed in wood or metal and covered in translucent paper, illuminated from within with all manner of colored lights. The nearest equivalent might be a stationary version of the Disney Light Parade. 

Photo by Jennifer Whalen

The sense of discovery is part of the uneven quality of the displays, from charmingly homemade to breathtakingly adept – school groups, community groups and big corporations all contribute their best efforts. Some lanterns are a few feet high, others tower 30 and 40 feet into the air. You can walk under a bow of giant blooms, feeling like an extra in A Bug’s Life, or make a wish beneath a giant headdress of Matsu, the sea goddess worshipped in both the Taoist and Buddhist tradition. 

Photo by Jennifer Whalen

Ram, sheep and goat motifs are especially prevalent this year, and the variations form a study of artistic technique; some are covered with pettable long hair, or fluffy wool – the adorably cute versions interspersed with those depicted as fierce mountain defenders with cloven hooves clinging to mountainous outcroppings. The most impressive ram stands a full forty feet high on a rotating base, becoming a multicolored spectacle with a projection-pattern body and twinkling horns that rotates every hour. 

Photo by Jennifer Whalen

Despite the size of the crowd, a convivial order remains; attendees are polite, enthusiastic and respectful of the sculptures and the other guests, waiting their turn to snap selfies. There is no charge to attend, and no vending or alcohol; a row of tents just outside the grounds provides street food and souvenir shopping for those who wish.

Photo by Jennifer Whalen

As a delegation of international visitors we were enthusiastically welcomed, and the Taiwan Minister of Tourism, David Hseih made sure to offer us a personal introduction. “This is the most important festival of the year in a country that loves festivals,” he explained. “Each year, the Taiwan Lantern Festival is hosted by a different city, highlighting the local character and traditions. Like many Taiwanese, we hope you will return year after year to see the differences in each location – and receive the same warm welcome every time.” With the Year of the Monkey approaching in February 2016, it could be the perfect time to celebrate the monkey’s cleverness and versatility, and your own, with a visit to see the lovely Taiwan lanterns.