 |
| General
Information
|
Chinese
Festivals Nearly every month, you can see the pomp and ceremony of traditional festivals celebrated in Taiwan, and they will give you some fascinating insights into 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Here in Taiwan you can see centuries-old birthday celebrations for gods and goddesses, elaborate pilgrimages, boat races, lion and dragon dances, and folk arts demonstrations. (Many festivals are based on the traditional Lunar Calendar.) Among the most interesting festivals for you to see is the three-day Taipei Lantern Festival (usually in February), when you can take advantages of discounts galore and witness ceremonial temple processions, displays of thousands of colorful lanterns, dragon dances, and folk arts performances and demonstrations. Also fascinating is the pilgrimage and elaborate celebrations in Peikang marking the birthday of Matsu, Goddess of the Sea (in April or May). Another chance for you to see nearly every kind of traditional folk art and handicraft is the four-day Folk Arts Festival in the tiny town of Lukang, which starts three days before the exciting Dragon Boat Festival (in May or June). The Taipei Chinese Food Festival, a recent innovation, is another great time for you to visit Taiwan, since you can sample the best from all of China's regional cooking styles (in August). Ghost Month (July or August) is marked by ceremonies in temples and other interesting activities during the month long "summer vacation" that ghosts have from hell. The birthday of Confucius known asTeacher's Day is celebrated every year on September 28 with an ancient dawn ceremony of dances, costumes, music, and other rites. The last major festival of the year is Double Ten Day (October 10), which commemorates the founding of the Republic of China. It is marked with huge parades in front of Taipei's Presidential Office Building, displays of martial arts, folk dances, and other cultural activities. In addition to the major annual festivals, hundreds of minor festivals are celebrated in Taiwan, many with elaborate temple ceremonies and enormous banquets. These include Tomb Sweeping Day, Birthday of the Medicine God, Chinese Valentine's Day, City God's Birthday, God of War's Birthday, and ritual boat burning to appease the Gods of Pestilence. Taiwan's temples also provide some of the best remaining examples of traditional Chinese culture. The temples enshrine a wide variety of gods--Buddhist, Taoist, folk-and many of the temples have fine examples of classical Chinese architecture, stone and wood carving, wall paintings, and embroidery. Among the best temples in Taiwan for you to see are Taipei's Lungshan (Dragon Mtn.) Temple; the Tsushih Temple in Sanhsia (an hour's drive south of Taipei); the Matsu and Lungshan temples in Lukang, near Taichung; the major temples in Tainan; and Light of Buddha Mtn. (Fokuangshan), a huge temple complex which has the island's tallest statue of Buddha (an hour's drive north of Kaohsiung). |
| Taipei
and Taiwan Hotels
online reservation, offers 24-hour online reservations service for Kaohsiung,
Taichung, Taipei. We welcome the opportunity
to provide you with discount rates at all major hotels in Taiwan. You
may check room availability and rates, and optionally make your Taipei
hotel reservations online. Our system will help you to fine the best Taiwan discount hotels. There is a great selection from when to choose Taiwan Travel. Your source to travel Thailand, E-Biz Travel provides information on Thailand, Thailand travel guides for Bangkok hotels, Pattaya hotels, Phuket hotels, Koh Samui hotels and more hotels in Thailand. |