Love will be in the air this weekend as Taiwan's couples celebrate Chinese Valentine's Day, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, in other words tomorrow. On this day, the stars Vega and Altair come into conjunction, which, according to traditional folklore, symbolizes the consummation of forbidden love.
The legend tells of a love between a human cowherd and a divine weaver, who were separated by the gods. They met once a year on a bridge formed by magpies sympathetic of the lovers' plight for an annual reunion. Modern-day lovers around the country will have the chance this weekend to express their love in more diverse ways, for example, by joining kissing contests held in front of department stores, or having a luxurious dinner or spending a night at an expensive hotel. Others ay exchange the common gifts of chocolates, wine, jewelry and lingerie.
But, the best things in life are often free, according to the old saying. So, the Department of Health will be distributing over 20,000 free condoms at 160 locations around Taiwan for those hoping for a bit more than chocolate from their lover.
For lovers looking to do something less commercial and a little unconventional there are plenty of options as well.
Taipei City Gay and Lesbian Festival (2001台北童玩節) is being held for the second time this year, sponsored by the Taipei City Government. Every year, Taiwan's gay and lesbian community chooses this day to remind the public that at either end of the magpie bridge, there maybe two cowherds or two weaving women waiting to be reunited.
Although the main focus of the three-day events is gay and lesbian rights awareness, politics will not overshadow the fun. Tomorrow, the event will include the screening at 7:30pm of a short documentary titled Corners, at 228 Memorial Park, a well-know gay dating spot. The movie contains explicit sex scenes.
On Sunday, events start at 8am and continue until 7pm and will include a market held on the campus of National Taiwan University that will feature a food fair, drag queen shows, games and a lecture on safe sex. Taiwan's first gay and lesbian athletic games will also be held at the university's gymnasium and sports stadium.
Another highlight of the weekend will be the Pure Love 01 rave party. This two-day marathon party organized by Channel [V] will feature 10 DJs performing non-stop until 5am. Two "dance lands" will be presented for the Taipei event on Friday at New York New York. "Love Land" will feature Japanese DJ Takkyu Ishino and local DJ Stingray, among others. "Paradise Land" will feature DJ Victor and a lineup of drag queens and male dances, and is actually part of the Gay and Lesbian Festival. In Kaohsiung, the Pure Love Party will be held at E-Club tomorrow.
For those wishing to have a more conventionally Taiwanese-style Valentine's Day, Tungshan River Park (冬山河公園) in Ilan County is the place to go. The 136m-long Tungshan Bridge will be decorated with tens of thousands of lamps tomorrow evening for the "Love on the Bridge" ceremony. Events tomorrow and Sunday start at 7pm and end at midnight. Admission is free.
Traditionally lovers walk from either end of the bridge with fire-works bursting overhead. This event has become another tourist highlight for Ilan County, complementing the International Children's Folklore and Folkgame Festival. The event this year attracted 800,000 people. So those without a valentine may want to go to the bridge to find that someone special among the starry-eyed throng.
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