Unlike the New Year celebration of the West where it only happens on the first day of the year, Chinese New Year is never on the same day. It usually falls in January or in February of every year but it occurs on the first day of the lunar year. The date of the Chinese New Year changes because the Chinese calendar is based on a combination of solar and lunar calendars.
A Celebration with Meaning
Legend has it that the Buddha invited animals from all over the world to visit him. Only 12 showed up. To honor them, the Buddha named the zodiac years after them. The rat managed to be the first to show. In the East, the rat gets more respect than in the West. The rat in the East is viewed as creative, hard working, enterprising, charming and charismatic. This year is the "Year of the Earth Rat," which is predicted to be a year of plenty and prosperity.
Chinese New Year Day is not only the most important day of the year, but also marks a new beginning and a time for festivities. It is a celebration of love and respect for family members. It is a time when many people bring offerings to temples and pray for peace. It is an opportunity for the Taiwanese to begin the year on a colorful and happy high note.
The highlight of New Year festivities is the Lantern Festival, or Shang Yuan Festival. Traditionally, it was known as a sort of Valentine's Day, the only day of the year when a single lady could be seen escorted by an eligible bachelor. This 15th day of the Chinese New Year, when the bright full moon shines, is the high point of the celebrations and also the beginning of spring.
There are different stories about the origin of the Lantern Festival. According to one of the stories, when Buddhism flourished in China (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), one emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch for sarira and light lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month to worship the Buddha. So the emperor ordered that lanterns be lit in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to the Buddha on this day. Since then it has developed into a grand festival and has spread throughout China.
The lanterns were made of paper, jade and colored glass. Sometimes riddles were written on them and those who correctly guessed them would receive prizes. In the present day, riddle parties and lantern competitions add to the festivities.
A Celebration of Food
A variety of traditional foods are prepared in great quantities symbolizing wealth and abundance. Dumplings are the most common food during the New Year's celebration. Different types of dumplings are prepared in the same method used hundreds of years ago.
No celebration is complete without tang yuan, snowy white dumplings made of sticky rice flour with a variety of fillings, including sweet black sesame paste, tangerine peel, walnuts, meats, and vegetables. It is an important practice to eat tang yuan during the lantern festival because they symbolize family reunion and unity, important values of the celebration, and their shape represents the full moon. Although people enjoy food in Taiwan, it is said that more food is consumed on the day of the Lantern Festival than on any other.
Lightin' Up!
The Lantern Festival, the final event in a series of Chinese New Year celebrations, is one of the most colorful and diverse events in Taiwan. The festivities begin before the moon rises. The temples are crowded with worshipers praying for peace and giving offerings to the different Buddhas.
There are the reverberating, crackling sounds of the fireworks, with smoke all around, and the beating of the drums and gongs. The fireworks are aimed at the temples or the statues of the Buddhas that are carried out of the temples on men's shoulders. The men shake the statues to scare evil spirits away, while temple guards are walking on high stilts wearing amazing masks and colorful costumes.
The guards' task is to protect the gods and guard the temple, with some wearing ugly and scary masks. The costumes resemble the look of warriors of the past.
The celebration takes different forms in the different parts of Taiwan. In Pinghsi one will see candle-powered lanterns gently floating into the sky, while in the Southern part of Taiwan one will see a more vigorous celebration and more high-tech lanterns. In Taitung there is the Bombing of the deity Hadan (the god of fortune) with exploding fireworks, rockets and drums played resoundingly in his honor. Men are dressed only in shorts and wear goggles while standing in the middle of the explosions in a celebration lasting well after midnight.
In the southwestern part of Taiwan in Tainan, the festivities take on more of a New Age look. This year it took place in Tainan's Solar City, Solar Park, sponsored by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. To welcome the Year of the Rat, the main theme lantern, the centerpiece, is a huge light in the shape of a rat. This zodiac animal of the year 2008 is illuminated by an elaborate light and laser show.
The whole city is lit by lanterns made by students and members of various organizations and enterprises giving one the impression of walking into a city of lights. Crowds packed the park, while dancing and drumming competed with the fireworks to gain the audience's attention. The rat centerpiece played musical tunes as it changed colors.
The vibrations, the high spirit of the crowd, the smells of food, and the sound of the drums all can raise one's spirit high.
For more information about visiting Taiwan go to: http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/taiwan/tourism_bureau_taiwan.htm
 MASTER OF CEREMONY: The rat, respected in Asian culture as an industrious, creative, and charming creature, represents the first year of the Chinese lunar calendar. It is the current centerpiece of the Tainan Solar City laser light show. (Nadia Ghattas/The Epoch Times)
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 QUEEN OF BIRDS! The legendary phoenix takes center stage in this illuminated float with many birds. (Nadia Ghattas/The Epoch Times)
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 TEMPLE GUARDS (Nadia Ghattas/The Epoch Times)
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 TEMPLE GUARDS (Nadia Ghattas/The Epoch Times)
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