Mother’s Day in Pingxi: Say “I LOVE YOU” to Mom with Sky Lanterns

Written/Compiled & Reported by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel Life Network

With Mother’s Day this Sunday (the 13th) approaching, besides enjoying a big meal or giving presents, you can now use sky lanterns in place of cards to offer your mother blessings through a traditional practice. The New Taipei City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau, in collaboration with the “Shifen is Awesome, Sky Lanterns Every Month” event, will prepare two sky lanterns shaped like a mother hen with chicks to take off alongside 50 regular sky lanterns on Mother’s Day. The event will be held at 16:00 at the Shifen Visitor Center, and the public can also bring their own lanterns to participate. Those who have registered must check in by 4:00 pm; otherwise, spots will be filled by walk-in visitors.

The traditional practice of releasing sky lanterns in Pingxi District, New Taipei City, has long been a key spot for northern residents to witness paper lanterns soaring into the sky. Thanks to the Tourism Bureau’s “Shifen is Awesome, Sky Lanterns All Year Round” campaign, lantern releases in Pingxi have become a regular event tied to occasions such as Mother’s Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Christmas. This month’s event falls on this Sunday and features a mother hen with chicks lantern design that resonates with the spirit of Mother’s Day. This particular lantern is also the winning entry from last year’s “Love Earth Eco-Creative Sky Lantern Design Competition.” Fans of sky lanterns can take this opportunity to see this rare design up close.

May is also when tung flowers bloom and fireflies dot the mountain nights. Visitors to Pingxi can enjoy both sky lantern releases and the sights of blooming tung blossoms and glowing fireflies. For transportation, the public can purchase a “Pingxi One-Day Pass” (full fare NT$52, half fare NT$28), and take branch-line trains from Badu or Ruifang Railway Stations. With no restrictions on train schedules, you’re free to get on and off at any station along the Pingxi line, including Jingmei and Houtong.

Since March this year, the Tourism Bureau has launched a monthly “Shifen is Awesome, Sky Lanterns All Year Round” event, offering 50 free lanterns at each session. Other upcoming sessions are scheduled for: June 23 (Saturday), July 21 (Saturday), August 19 (Sunday), September 30 (Mid-Autumn Festival), October 10 (Double Ten Day), November 11 (Sunday), and December 9 (Sunday). For reservations and event information, call the Shifen Visitor Center at 02-2495-8409.

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