Thousands in Taiwan and China celebrated the Lantern Festival on Wednesday by releasing paper lanterns into the night sky, visiting light installations and snacking on glutinous rice dumplings.
The holiday marks the end of the Lunar New Year period and is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar.
At the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in northern Taiwan, thousands lined up in the rain to light up and observe wish lanterns. Among them were Mae Alegonero and Shine Ceralvo, friends from the Philippines who work in central Taiwan. They decided to join the event after seeing images of the floating lanterns trending on TikTok.
“You experience this once in a lifetime,” Alegonero said, as she sheltered under an umbrella with her friend and waited for the festivities to begin.
