Lantern Festival

Chinese Lunar New Year is the most significant holiday in Chinese society. Celebrations begin on New Year's Eve and continue until the 15th of January of the lunar calendar. The Lantern Festival, begins on the last day of the New Year's celebration.

Lantern Festival is on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.
 

 

 During Chinese New Year, the temples would organize holiday markets for locals who were taking a break from their farm work. During the festivities residents would buy and exchange products. As the years went by the markets gradually grew and evolved into today's large Festival.

 

There are a number of Taoist celebrations that occur during the New Year's celebrations. On December 24th of Chinese calendar, feasts are held to honor Tai Sui. This Taoist God is believed to be the guardian of the home. Taoists believe on December 24th Tai Sui returns to heaven to report on the year's activities. Taoists hold banquets in his honor, with the hopes he will deliver a positive report to Yu Huang (Jade Emperor of Heaven).

Another big celebration occurs on January 9th of the lunar calendar. This is the Jade Emperor's birthday and celebrations are held at the Feng-ping Temple. These celebrations begin at midnight and continue throughout the next day.

At the end of Chinese New Year the temples in the Houjin District also hold the Prosperity Salutations Parade. The deities residing in the temples are taken on a tour to bring blessings and prosperity to the local residents. The route covers all five subdivisions.

 

 turtle granting 

The Turtle Granting Contest marks the climax of the Houjin Gan Wei Festival. This occurs on Lantern festival and is a very historic practice. Temples host a contest in which participants throw a pair of crescent-shaped pieces of wood. According to Taoism the gods are responding when the flat side of one of the crescent-shaped wood pieces is facing up and the flat side is facing down on the other. These are known as "holy cups". The person who gets the most "holy cups" wins the contest. The prize is a "Prosperity Turtle". It is believed the winner of the turtle will be granted prosperity and good fortune by the gods. The turtle-shaped deity is made of a variety of materials. It is usually constructed from rice and flour, but sometimes they are constructed of pure gold. The winner is then expected to donate twice the worth of the turtle over the next year. This gesture is symbolic of the winner's generosity and sharing of their good fortune. This would also give others the opportunity to be granted the turtle's good fortune.

 

 Firecrackers at Master Han Dan

It is a very special ceremony as a real person will take the place of the god Master Han Dan, wearing only a pair of red shorts. He will cover his face with a towel. He may not wear any other clothes. In his hand, He will hold a branch to protect himself. He will be carried by people on a sedan chair. He must stand strong as many people throw firecrackers at his body. In Taiwan, only a few places will worship Han Dan Yue including Taitung, Hualien and Yu Li, but only Taitung has this particular activity.
There are two stories behind the legend of Master Han Dan. Number one goes that the god Master Han Dan was afraid of the cold, so every year during the parade, the people will light firecrackers to ward off the cold for Master Han Dan. And at the same time, the people hope that by throwing firecrackers, Master Han Dan will take good care of them. The second story says that Master Han Dan was a local gangster in Taitung who picked on the good people of Taitung. All evil was done by him. One year, the people planned to get Master Han Dan drunk and then attempt to kill him by throwing firecrackers. So up until now every year at the parade, people throw firecrackers in part to get rid of any upset emotions.
Carrying the gods around the city in Lantern Festival and throwing firecrackers at Master Han Dan has been going on in Taitung for over fifty years. This is a local specialty here in Taitung. Every year, the activity attracts more and more people to come to Taitung for this festival. With the help of the Tourism Bureau this has become one of the most important Lantern Festivals in Taiwan.
以上資料來源：台東縣政府、台東市公所製作宣傳單

 

 資料來源: 高雄市政府新聞局 

 Chinese Calendar 

https://www.chinesecalendaronline.com/2022/2/15.htm

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photo from https://www.countryliving.com/uk/news/a38576418/new-years-resolutions-2022/

 

 

 sentence pattern : I wish I could +V 

https://www.talkenglish.com/lessondetails.aspx?ALID=2051

 

 

 

 

 

 

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