Heavenly lights

The celebration of Yuan Xiao or the Lantern Festival 15 days after the Lunar New Year sees all roads leading to the once coal-mining town of Pingxi in New Taipei, Taiwan, every year. Hundreds or even thousands of lighted paper lanterns are released and sent airborne up, up and away along with the earthly mortals’ prayerful wishes and messages for everything associated with happiness, including fortune, health, good jobs, as well as success in love and marriage.

MANILA, Philippines — Although the name Pingxi always comes up when people talk about the traditional heavenly lanterns in Taiwan, Shifen in Pingxi District, once famous as a mining site, is the particular place of origin of the tradition first brought over by the settlers from Fujian province, China, over 200 years ago.

Local residents like to tell visitors about “Shifen xing Hu” or “those surnamed Hu in Shifen” as representing a big percentage of the local population. But the expression sounds more like “extremely happy” to those who like to hear only auspicious words and expressions at this time of the year.

In the olden days, Shifen was often attacked by gangsters and bandits. The women and children in the village were forced to run and hide in the mountain. But when the dreaded criminals had left, villagers released lighted lanterns to signal to those in hiding that peace had returned to the community.  

Oldtimers in Shifen remain very active in keeping alive the tradition of making the heavenly lanterns, which are in great demand in the run up to the Lantern Festival on March 2 this year. They cherish memories of releasing lighted lanterns when their children or grandchildren were preparing for their examinations.

PAPER WISHES (clockwise from above): Pingxi Shifen Temple; a sign lists the meaning of the different lantern colors; tourists enjoy a ride on the Pingxi coal mine train; wishes and messages to the heavens are painted on the paper lanterns.

Years ago, even the women helped move heavy loads around Shifen’s coal mining site to make a living. But some of them have turned to lantern-making because the mines have long closed down. But one place with old railroad tracks intact in Shifen has been transformed into a very educational museum. Visitors even get to join an organized tour of an old tunnel and shaft. Old mining tools are on display here, together with stories on how miners used to keep track of the headcount and safety of the men who ventured inside a shaft.

Some of the women with memories of those hard times now join younger family members in crafting the lanterns in great demand among Pingxi tourists. The sky lantern’s frame is made by tying the split bamboo sticks with wires. Then the lantern paper is spread out, folded and glued to the frame. Sheets of what look like paper money for burning go with each purchase of a lantern. These sheets, which are oiled beforehand to facilitate eventual lighting, must be attached to the bottom of the lantern frame. 

Lanterns of different colors symbolize different areas of concern, such as yellow for wealth, red for good health, blue for career success and orange for luck in love and marriage. Tourists write down their wishes on the lanterns before lighting and releasing them with excitement into the night sky over Shifen.

Lanterns which can easily be bought at shops across the old railroad tracks will ignite the Pingxi sky and create a spectacular sight thrice every hour from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on March 2. These will be lighted and released from Shifen Square. Small lantern souvenirs are also on sale.

Try to leave for Shifen early. Explore the interesting Old Street. Walk a bit to the Shifen Coal Mine Museum. The ticketing office is some distance from the museum itself. Continue on afterward to the breathtaking Shifen Waterfall in the upper reaches of the Keelung River in broad daylight. You need to climb a bit to get to a vantage viewing site. By nightfall, join the big sky lantern launching event. The Pingxi experience promises to be unforgettable.

To go to Pingxi, take Keelung Bus 788 near the Fuxing-Zhongxiao MRT Station in Taipei. From Pingxi, get on the Pingxi Railway Train for a short ride to Shifen. The drive by car to Pingxi from Taipei takes about one hour.