Crowds gather in Taipei County to celebrate Sky Lantern festival
By Channel NewsAsia's Christina Lo | Posted: 10 February 2009 0016 hrs

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Pingsi, Taipei County, TAIWAN: Thousands of lanterns float across the skies of Taiwan on Monday, each bearing wishes of luck and happiness for loved ones. It marks the end of the Lunar New Year and the climax of a two-week international lantern festival.

Every Lunar New Year, crowds gather at this once coal-mining town of Pingsi in Taipei County. They are here to take in the spectacular view of hundreds of Sky Lanterns being launched together.

The Sky Lantern is believed to be the media used to deliver messages to heaven. All one has to do is write down one's wishes and send it up into the sky and the wishes will be heard by God.

Legend claims that the higher a Sky Lantern rises, the more good luck it brings.

Sky Lanterns are called "TianDing" in Taiwanese, a term that sounds similar to the phrase "having a baby boy", which is considered very auspicious for married couples.

One couple said: "I hope our wedding will go smoothly and we would win the lottery."

The Sky Lantern festival was introduced to Pingsi by an immigrant from China's Fujian Province almost a century ago. But it was not until the last decade that it became popular again.

Chairman of Pingsi Township Business Association, Wu Chong-Hsien, said: "Launching Sky Lantern at Pingsi means world peace and harmony. This year's theme is "brightening up the world". We'd like to deliver the message to the whole world. It is named the second largest festival on the planet by Discovery Channel."

Lanterns are available in different colours. One could wish for wealth, health, or love and marriage depending on which lantern is chosen.

Pingsi is now synonymous with these heavenly carriers. Sending wishes to the skies has become so popular that lanterns are sold in shops the whole year round. - CNA/vm