TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — This photo of a young lion dancer was taken during a small neighborhood parade to celebrate the Lantern Festival.
Saturday (Feb. 24) was the Lantern Festival (元宵節), which marked the 15th and final day of Lunar New Year festivities and the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. It is an auspicious day during which lanterns are lit, tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls) are eaten, and parades are held.
At 7 p.m. on Saturday, the Zhongyuanli neighborhood in Taipei City's Zhongshan District held a small community parade led by Borough Chief Lo Chung-hua (羅崇華) and a lion dance team from Jilin Elementary School.
Participants of all ages wore paper hats shaped like dragons as they marched to the beat of a shigu (獅鼓, lion drum). The parade started at Zhongyuan Park, headed north on Zhongyuan Street, and finished at Zhongzhuangzi Fude Temple.
The crescendo was a show by two yellow lions performed by Jilin Elementary School students in front of and inside the temple. The yellow color symbolizes good fortune, and the lions were rewarded with large red envelopes by temple members.
(Taiwan News, Keoni Everington photo)
(Taiwan News, Keoni Everington photo)
(Taiwan News, Keoni Everington photo)
(Taiwan News, Keoni Everington photo)
Elementary school lion dancers perform at Taipei temple on Lantern Festival https://t.co/eWByYPFAo4 pic.twitter.com/sf5O1Ou4Xb
— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNewsEN) February 27, 2024
