Recommended by world-renowned travel websites！Five must-see autumn and winter events

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Family, compiled and reported
 
As September arrives, only a quarter of the year remains. If you still have unused annual leave and want to treat yourself to a special travel memory, you must not miss the five annual autumn and winter events recommended by leading global travel review websites, to experience the festive atmosphere in different countries.

When it comes to autumn and winter festivals, you certainly can’t miss Taiwan’s most beloved Mid-Autumn Festival. Most people choose to gather with family and friends under the moonlight for a barbecue, but this year you can plan something different—bring your loved ones to Pingxi to join the “2018 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival,” where you can release lanterns by hand and share happiness together.

The Pingxi Sky Lantern was also voted by global travel review site Travellers’ Favourites as Taiwan’s “Most Recommended Cultural Activity for International Visitors” in 2018.

You can also head to Chiba Prefecture in Japan to experience the historic "Ohara Hadaka Festival," a tradition dating back to the Edo period. Witness the spectacular sight of bold fishermen carrying portable shrines as they charge into the sea to pray for blessings. The festival is jointly organized by eighteen shrines, so the shrines are carried into the sea simultaneously. It is famous for the bustling scene of shrine-bearers moving through the waves in the surf—a grand and hearty celebration to pray for a bountiful harvest and thriving fisheries. It is said to be the only festival in Japan that features a ritual of carrying shrines into the sea.

如果假期长一点，可以直奔欧洲体验热闹非凡的“慕尼黑啤酒节”。