Festivals & Events
Explore Taiwan's most iconic religious festivals and folk celebrations.
Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage
No one knows where tomorrow's road will lead — not even the men carrying the palanquin. This is the only pilgrimage in Taiwan that hands the entire route over to Mazu herself, with devotees on foot following wherever she decides to go.
Qingshan King Festival
As night falls over Wanhua, Taipei, torches and lanterns flicker on one by one and the Qingshan King's palanquin slips out on a secret night patrol — the most mysterious nighttime temple festival in northern Taiwan.
Wangye Worship & Welcoming King Festival
Late at night on the shore at Donggang, a magnificent King Boat more than ten meters long is set alight, its flames turning the sea red — the Royal Lords are carrying away this district's plague and misfortune, returning to Heaven to report.
Lunar New Year Customs
A dab of malt sugar smeared on the Kitchen God's lips, just to coax him into putting in a few good words up in Heaven — from the year-end feast to the first day back at work, every Lunar New Year custom in Taiwan hides a blessing behind it.
Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage
The baomazi walks at the very front — one foot in a straw sandal, the other bare — striking a bronze gong to tell everyone along the road: Mazu is coming. Nine days, eight nights, 340 kilometers, and millions walking behind.
Yanshui Beehive Fireworks
The moment the palanquin halts before a fort of fireworks, tens of thousands of bottle rockets explode at once, the sparks pouring out like a swarm of bees bursting from the hive — and devotees firmly believe that the more rockets strike you, the better your luck in the year to come.
Zhongyuan Ghost Festival
On the first day of the seventh lunar month, King Yama opens the gates of the underworld and lets the spirits return to the world of the living — and for a whole month, Taiwanese lay out offering tables and softly call them "good brothers," folding both reverence and tenderness into every small detail.
Lantern Festival
Thousands of sky lanterns rise all at once, carrying people's wishes up into the night like a sky full of slowly drifting stars — this is the Lantern Festival, the last night of the Lunar New Year.
Jiao Festival (Community Purification Ritual)
For days on end the whole village takes no life and touches no meat — markets stop selling fish and pork, and even the convenience stores pull meat products from the shelves. This is the Jiao Festival, the grandest and most devout community rite in Taiwan.