From prayer rituals at temples in Taipei and Bangkok to incense offerings and vibrant lion dances in Beijing, hundreds of millions of people across Asia yesterday celebrated the Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
In Taiwan yesterday morning, people of all ages poured into temples to make offerings of fruit, sweets, crackers and nuts.
“Our tradition is to visit the temple and pray, for better fortune for this year,” said Chen Ching-yuan, 36, as she visited Longshan Temple (龍山寺) in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) with her mother.
Photo: Annabelle Chih, Reuters
“There’s no need to ask for anything specific, just wish for a smooth, peaceful, safe and healthy year, and pray that everything goes well,” Chen said.
Some temple-goers ushered in the new year by racing to be the first to light incense in the pursuit of good fortune.
“I didn’t want to look back with regret when I’m old, so I decided to go for it,” Kao Meng-shun said at Fusing Temple (福興宮) in Yunlin County’s Siluo Township (西螺).
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
In China, people enjoy eight consecutive public holidays for the Spring Festival, an opportunity to share meals, attend traditional performances and set off fireworks.
Train stations and airports across the country have been jam-packed for weeks as millions returned home to spend the holidays with their loved ones in an annual migration that is expected to be a record.
Temples and parks in Beijing yesterday were full with people braving freezing temperatures to bid farewell to the Year of the Dragon with dancing and prayers.
Photo: Reuters
High streets, shopping malls, offices and homes were bedecked in festive red banners — believed to ward off evil — throughout many parts of East and Southeast Asia, including South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand.
In Bangkok, throngs of locals and tourists made their way to Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, the capital’s most revered Chinese temple.
Built in 1871 by immigrants from southern China, the temple marks its 154th anniversary this year and remains a key worshiping site for the Thai-Chinese community.
Photo: AP
Sasakorn Udomrat, 56, has been coming to the temple for eight consecutive years.
“I have many Thai-Chinese friends who say this temple is very sacred,” she said. “I don’t ask for anything in particular, just good health.”
Another worshiper Nawarat Yaowanin, 42, said that “according to the Chinese calendar, it’s a brewing year for me.”
“I came here to pay my respects and hope to ward off bad luck,” she said.
Crowds also filled the streets in the Philippine and Indonesian capitals for vibrant lion dance parades.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to