Activities throughout the first to the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year | A complete guide to Tainan’s New Year celebrations

Reported by You t
ru / Comprehensive report

From Liuhe Jixiang to Qixi Chunman, the new year is just around the corner. Taiwanese people still observe many traditional customs during the Lunar New Year. As a cultural ancient capital, Tainan is filled with a strong festive atmosphere and the ambiance of a city rich in culture; the Tainan City Government has planned a series of “2014 Tainan Zhenyou Chun” events, which not only showcase the city’s cultural and historical roots but also highlight the unique everyday life and vibe of Tainan.


▲ The “2014 Tainan Zhenyou Chun” event showcases the city’s cultural and historical roots. (Photo / Provided by Tainan City Tourism Bureau)

The first events of the Lunar New Year celebration are the “Tainan Flower Festival,” which combines floral art with humanistic history, and the diverse folk temple fair “2014 Dongshan Welcome Buddha – A Century of Footsteps.” This is followed by the “Xinhua Lunar New Year Street Market,” where over a hundred vendors gather to sell New Year goods, featuring a special section for Tainan delicacies and souvenirs, offering more diverse options for shopping. The dreamlike lantern displays decorating the quaint town of Yanshui at the “Yuejin Port Lantern Festival,” the grand and majestic “2014 Tainan International Drum Festival,” the magical and dazzling “Dream of the Flying Horse – A Tribute of Light and Shadow,” as well as one of the world’s three major folk events, the “Yanshui Beehive Rockets,” and the high-altitude fireworks show at the “Luermen Madonna Temple’s New Year Lantern Carnival,” kick off a tightly packed series of activities that continue non-stop from the first to the fifteenth day.

To allow more people to easily visit Tainan during the Spring Festival, the Tourism Bureau has specially launched the heavily discounted “Taiwan Good Bus 88 Anping Line and 99 Taijiang Line” one-day transportation tickets, each available for just NT$80. Not only can you explore the three-star attractions recommended in the Michelin Green Guide, but you can also enjoy delicious Tainan street snacks. Visitors can purchase tickets directly at any 7-ELEVEN store via ibon, or on board the 88 Anping Line and 99 Taijiang Line buses.

2014 Tainan Flower Festival

▲ Tainan Park. (Photo / Provided by Tainan City Tourism Bureau)

The 2014 Tainan Flower Festival features three of Tainan’s most distinctive parks, showcasing their unique charm through floral arrangements and eco-friendly gardening techniques, creating a magnificent carnival of floral messages. By combining flowers with human history and culture, the festival presents the captivating allure of Tainan, making it perfect for family outings during the festive season.

Locations: Tainan Park in North District, Nan Ying Green Heart in Xinying District, and Zhongshan Park in Jiali District.
Date: January 23 – February 23

2014 Dongshan Welcome Buddha – A Century of Footsteps

▲ Baishui Biyun Temple. (Photo / Provided by Tainan City Tourism Bureau)

The “Dongshan Bixuan Temple Welcome Buddha and Parish Parade” is a complex and diverse folk temple fair. In addition to “Buddha Returning to Biyun Temple for the New Year” and “Dongshan Welcome Buddha,” there are extended events such as “Parading Through Eighteen Streams” and “Parading Inside and Outside the Parish.” It is rich in local religious and historical-cultural characteristics, with its incense routes unchanged despite the passage of time, representing a highly unique custom and faith in Tainan’s mountainous regions. The faith features include: fire dragons welcoming the Buddha, diverse expressions of Buddha worship, an irreplaceable incense route, exchanging incense and flowers as well as palanquins, three deities parading together with Buddha as the central figure, a rotating system of parade and entry customs, and long-lasting parade durations.
Locations: Dongshan Bixuan Temple, Baishui Biyun Temple
Dates: January 23 – Buddha returns to Biyun Temple for the New Year; February 9 – Dongshan Welcome Buddha; March 2–10 – Buddha parades through the eighteen streams

Xinhua Lunar New Year Street Market
With over a hundred stalls set up, in addition to traditional New Year goods, there are 21 special food and snack stalls, offering more diverse choices for New Year shopping. Local businesses also offer promotions, one-dollar auctions for New Year items, and lucky draws for purchases over NT$100. Xinhua District boasts rich cultural assets: the Xinhua Old Street, the Street Office, the Martial Arts Hall, the Yang Kui Literature Museum, and the Hutoupi Reservoir are all famous tourist attractions. Visiting Xinhua for New Year shopping and nearby sights ensures a fulfilling trip.

Date: January 24 – 29, 12:00 – 21:00

2014 Yuejin Port Lantern Festival
The main lantern of the “2014 Yuejin Port Lantern Festival” is “Sunlight Field,” located on the opposite bank of Shuiyue Bridge, created by the acclaimed art collective “Luxury Logico.” This piece uses discarded outdoor lamps from Tainan as its primary material, illuminated by eco-friendly and sustainable LED lights. The giant spherical main lantern nestles beside a large tree and a cluster of traditional courtyard houses by Yuejin Port. Viewed from Shuiyue Bridge, it forms the perfect picture of a small bridge over flowing water beside a house. The art team also developed a unique lighting rhythm using computer programming, making the lantern appear to breathe like an organic celestial body, offering different views by day and night, symbolizing the transcendence of time and space and the everlasting beauty of Tainan’s scenery.

Locations: Yuejin Port Waterfront Park in Yanshui District, front plaza of Cide Chan Temple in Yanshui District
Date: January 25 – March 20  Lighting Hours: 17:30 – 23:00

2014 Tainan International Drum Festival
The “2014 Tainan International Drum Festival” is held at Yi Zai Jin Cheng. The powerful drum performances paired with the historic national monument create a perfect fusion of visual and auditory sensory experiences for the audience. This year’s theme is “Dragon Horse Leaps at Golden City.” In addition to performances by local groups such as Ten Drums Art Percussion Group and Sho-Ka-Taiko, seven outstanding international drum performance troupes have been invited to Tainan, including Japan’s TEAM Tentaiko, Japan’s Nobushi Taiko & Asuka Taiko, Singapore’s NADI Pulse Percussion, and Korea’s SLAP.

Location: Yi Zai Jin Cheng
Date: January 31 – February 4, 10:00 – 16:30
Opening Time: February 11, 18:00
Closing Time: February 16, 20:00

2014 Yanshui Beehive Rockets

▲Yanshui Beehive Rockets. (Photo provided by Tainan City Tourism Bureau)

In 2014, Yanshui Wu Temple used the Yanshui Beehive Rockets to bless the public for safety and bid farewell to the past misfortunes, ushering in good fortune and smooth sailing in the new year. The rocket display, a grand finale on the night of the Lantern Festival, was not only dazzling but also gave visitors an unprecedented physical thrill. Those joining the “Yanshui Beehive Rockets” event should remember to wear “safety gear”!

Location: Yanshui Junior High School in Yanshui District (centralized launch area)
Time: 2/14 21:00

The Dream of Pegasus — A Tribute of Light and Shadow
The municipal government center gets a complete makeover, showcasing the brilliance of the ancient capital. Following the spectacular experience brought by the 2012 French Groupe F pyrotechnic troupe and the 2013 “Mega Light & Magic – 3D Spectacular,” the City Hall Plaza will once again work miracles during the 2014 Spring Festival. The stunning creativity of light and shadow will fully reveal the infinite charm of Greater Tainan’s nature, culture, intellect, and fun. The upcoming “The Dream of Pegasus — A Tribute of Light and Shadow,” to be presented at the Yonghua Civic Plaza of the Yonghua Municipal Government Center on the evening of the second and third days of the Lunar New Year, is not to be missed.

Location: Yonghua Civic Plaza of the Yonghua Municipal Government Center
Time: 2/1, 2/2 19:00

2014 Mass Street Parade, Spring Ox Whipping Ceremony, and the Great Spring Ox Rush – Lunar New Year Lantern Festival Carnival
The Spring Ox Rush ceremony is one of the highlights of the temple’s Lantern Festival night. Before the rush, there must be a Spring Ox street parade to bless every household within the region with peace and annual harvest. Prior to the official ceremony, the chief officiant will whip the Spring Ox twelve times, and after each strike, the emcee will chant the “Spring Ox Whip Chant.” Once completed, the Spring Ox Rush begins, with thousands rushing onto the Spring Ox platform to seize good fortune for the year ahead. On that day, twelve beehive-style giant artillery installations will be set up, each firing thousands of rockets, creating a magnificent, dazzling, starry, thrilling spectacle not to be missed. Starting at 8 PM, an elaborately designed high-altitude fireworks show will also be launched. The dazzling scene of fireworks soaring through the sky will be truly spectacular.

Location: Orthodox Luermen Shrine of the Goddess of Mercy
Time: 1/31–2/8 Lunar New Year Lantern Festival Carnival series; 2/8 Beehive rockets and high-altitude fireworks show from 19:00 to 23:00