Jaime LeeMore often than not, lantern festivals are not only a sight to behold, but spiritually eye-opening as well. Let your hopes and dreams soar, as you celebrate Asia’s most magical lantern festivals with your loved ones!
1. Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Thailand
Image credit: John Shedrick
Expect to catch the upcoming Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Thailand in November! Yi Peng is more often than not celebrated in northern Thailand. This festival of lights is celebrated on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month annually, which falls somewhere in mid-November. Moreover, this spectacular light display is part of the wider Loi Krathong celebrations in Chiang Mai.
Image credit: Takeaway
Every November, thousands of illuminated sky lanterns are being released into the skies above. Releasing the paper lantern, also known as khom loi, signifies letting go of all ills and misfortunes in the past year. Furthermore, Buddhists believe that if you make a wish upon setting off the lantern, it will come true. The Yi Peng Lantern Festival is thus a celebration of new beginnings. This gives us the chance to release negative energy and welcome future fortune as we embrace the new year.
Come November, let your hopes and dreams take flight and be bedazzled by the sea of lanterns twinkling in the full-moon night sky.
2. Dalgubeol Lantern Festival in Korea
Image credit: Korea Tourism Organisation – VisitKorea
If you have your heart set on seeing the sky dotted with lights in the Land of the Morning Calm, add Daegu Duryu Park to your travel wishlist. The Dalgubeol Lantern Festival is usually celebrated on the Buddha’s birthday. Thousands converge in Daegu Duryu Park every year in late April to celebrate this religious affair.
If you are commuting by train, alight at Duryu Station. The park is roughly a 20-minute walk away on foot. The park is home to Daegu Tower, an observation tower that offers an incredible aerial view of Daegu.
Catch a glimpse of a mesmerising floating field of sky lanterns after sundown, as thousands gather to celebrate this intimate aged-old tradition.
Following the releasing of lanterns, enjoy a magical evening filled with fireworks and a lantern parade to top it off. The Dalgubeol Lantern Festival is one of Asia’s most spectacular lantern festivals.
3. Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taiwan
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taiwan is a sight to behold. It is indisputably one of the most magical sights that I have ever come across in Pingxi, a rural town rich in culture and heritage.
In the past, the significance of these lanterns were to notify refugees that the town was safe and free of threats. Today, the sublime excitement of witnessing these illuminated sky lanterns rise against the night sky has drawn travellers all over the world.
Upon selecting your lantern colour, feel free to pen down your heartfelt wishes and hopes on the lantern before release. Live out your Tangled tale fantasy, as a dreamy field of glowing orbs dot the skies.
Also read: Taipei Day Trip: Hop on the Pingxi Railway Line
Let’s hope that amidst all that is going on in the world, we can still glimpse these magical sights in time to come!
