New Year's Eve and the first three days of the new year are observed as a pubic holiday, although this break sometimes lasts up to a week. Movie theaters and major restaurants are essentially the only businesses open during the holiday. People return to work between the fifth and eighth days of the new year, but the holiday atmosphere lasts through the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
Traditionally, Chinese parents prepared lanterns for their children to carry on the school day of the new year to symbolize the hope that the children would have bright futures. In modern Taiwan, small children carrying lanterns roam the streets on the evening of the festival.
The Taipei Lantern Festival, held at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, features thousands of elaborate lanterns, dragon and lion dances, folk arts demonstrations, acrobatic performances, and ceremonial temple processions. This grand, three-day celebration B Chinese culture attracts millions of revelers every year.
The week-long Tourism Festival is held during the same week as the Lantern Festival, and is an excellent time to tour the island since many tourist hotels offer room discounts and major scenic spots have reduced admission.
One of the world's most unique festivals, coinciding with the Lantern festival, is the famous "rocket hives" fireworks show at Yenshui. For nearly 200 years the town has fired off these "hives," each of which launches of large, unaimed bottle rockets, to commemorate a successful fight against a plague. But beware , even with protective clothing, eye injuries and burns occur.
The dragon dance was invented to stop the spread of epidemics, then evolved into a folk activity. The lion dance was originally used for worship and to pray for rain, but now the dance is used strictly for entertainment. The lion chases a scampering clown, who dodges from left to right, jumping to and fro to make fun of the lion.
The best time to witness lion and dragon dance is on Oct. 10, the ROC's National Day, when they are held in front of the Presidential Office Building in downtown Taipei, near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
These and other folk arts, such as embroidery, lantern marking, Taiwanese opera, and puppets or puppet shows, can be seen at colorful night markets in Taiwan's major cities, during the annual Taipei Lantern Festival, the annual Lukang Folk Arts Festival, and during many major temple festivals.