There is a popular saying that there are “Sky lanterns up north, beehive rockets down south.” The former refers to New Taipei City’s Pingsi Sky Lantern Festival, and the latter refers to Greater Tainan’s Yanshui Beehive Rockets Festival. Both events are celebrated on the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. According to folk custom, sky lanterns and firecrackers are ways of praying for peace and prosperity, so the more there are, the better.
The 13th Pingsi Sky Lantern Festival this year, which is based on the theme of “Hope for Taiwan, Vitality in New Taipei City,” celebrates Taiwan’s centennial and New Taipei City’s promotion to special municipality status. To mark these events, renowned calligrapher Chang Ping-huang has been invited to write auspicious Chinese characters on lanterns.
When watching sky lanterns carrying prayers slowly flying heavenward, it is hard not to feel impressed and touched by the visual splendor. At a total of three major events — on Feb. 6, Feb. 12, and Feb. 17 — thousands of lanterns are given away for free to visitors with other freebies for visitors arriving by train or shuttle bus. If you miss the first two events, you have one last chance to brighten up the night sky free of charge on the day of the annual Lantern Festival this coming Thursday. The event, held at Shihfen Lantern Square, on Thursday will also feature singers Hsu Chia-ying, Jing Huang, Crowd Lu, and others to make the event more exciting.
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Government
照片由新北市政府提供
The History and Attractions
Pingsi, in a rural district in the eastern part of New Taipei City, was an important coal mining town in the early 20th century. The coal mine museum is located near Shihfen Station on the narrow-gauge Pingsi train line, and the Jingtong Mining Industry Museum is near the Jingtong station. In addition to sky lanterns, there are also other tourist attractions along the Pingsi branch line, near Jingtong, Pingsi, Lingjiao, Wanggu, Shihfen, Dahua, and other stations. Also, one of sources of the Keelung River originates in Jingtong.
坊間流傳「北天燈、南蜂炮」順口溜，指的就是農曆正月十五元宵節兩大民俗慶典 ─ 新北市平溪天燈節與台南市鹽水蜂炮。習俗上，天燈與蜂炮皆可祈福，放愈多象徵福氣愈旺。
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Government’s Tourism and Travel Department
照片由新北市政府觀光旅遊局提供
今年邁入第十三年的平溪天燈節，主題是「希望臺灣、新北好Young」，祈求台灣建國百年與新北市升格首年，如天燈般充滿希望、活力十足。這次活動特地邀請書法家張炳煌在天燈題吉祥字，為國祈福。
看著天燈帶著滿天祈福話語冉冉上升時，很少有人不被這般壯麗視覺震撼所感動。天燈節分別在二月六日、十二日與十七日舉辦三場大型活動，民眾可領取限量免費天燈，搭乘火車與接駁專車的民眾亦可領取紀念品。錯過前兩場的民眾，後天元宵節當天在十分天燈廣場還有今年最後一次免費點亮天空的機會，活動還請到歌手徐佳瑩、黃靖倫、盧廣仲等，炒熱現場氣氛。
歷史與景點
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者王藝菘
平溪位於新北市東部的鄉下地區，在二十世紀初是個重要的礦場。台灣煤礦博物館就在十分車站附近，而菁桐礦業生活館就在菁桐車站附近。平溪除了可以放天燈外，還有許多旅遊景點分布在平溪支線各站沿線，包含菁桐、平溪、嶺腳、望古、十分與大華等車站。另外，基隆河其中一個源頭就在菁桐。
Transportation
A large crowd is expected to flock to Pingsi during the Lantern Festival; therefore, visitors are advised to take the train,
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Government’s Tourism and Travel Department
照片由新北市政府觀光旅遊局提供
a shuttle bus or other public transportation. In addition to being a cheap way to get there, it is also a novel way which will allow you to appreciate things from a different angle, not to mention reduce your carbon footprint. Visitors can take the shuttle bus from the Taipei Zoo near the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Muzha Station between 10am and 7pm. The bus will take you all the way to the Jingan suspension bridge near Shihfen Station. The shuttle bus returning from Pingsi to Taipei City runs until midnight.
交通資訊
元宵節的活動預計會有大批人潮湧入平溪，建議利用火車或接駁車等大眾運輸工具，它們不僅是實惠交通工具，更是新的旅遊形態，讓民眾從不同角度觀賞事物，同時還可減少碳足跡。民眾可在後天上午十點至下午七點至木柵動物園搭接駁車到十分車站附近的靜安吊橋，直到凌晨都有回程接駁車供民眾使用。
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Government’s Tourism and Travel Department
照片由新北市政府觀光旅遊局提供
The Sky Lantern Legend
According to Hong Jin-feng’s Taiwan Folk Culture Journey published in 1993, sky lanterns are also called “Kung Ming lanterns.” Legend has it that lanterns were created in the shape of China’s legendary minister Chu Ke-liang’s (aka Kung Ming) hat by Chu himself during the Three Kingdoms period (184-280 AD) as a way of communication during periods of war. As to why sky lanterns have become synonymous with Pingsi, legend has it that Chu’s offspring settled down in Pingsi where they set off sky lanterns annually around the Lantern Festival to pay homage to their ancestor. According to another story, many years ago, the Shihfen area was infested with bandits and robbers, so villagers set off sky lanterns to indicate they were safe after the bandits had left. As a result, sky lanterns are also known as “safety lanterns” or “prayer lanterns.” Overall, sky lanterns symbolize prayers for peace and happiness. Interestingly, the pronunciation of sky lanterns in Hoklo is a homonym for tian din, or “adding a child.” Thus, many couples who want to have children set off sky lanterns to pray for good luck.
天燈的傳說
PHOTO: Reuters
照片：路透
根據洪進峰一九九三年出版的《台灣民俗之旅》，天燈又名「孔明燈」，相傳是三國時代（公元一八四至二八零年）諸葛亮（又稱孔明）以他的帽子為造型藍本，製作天燈燃放升空，作為戰時聯絡軍情之用，以後漸漸成為農民過節時的活動。至於為何天燈成為平溪的代名詞，據說是孔明的後代移入該村，為了不忘先祖，而在每年元宵節前後施放天燈以感懷先祖。另外也有說法為早期十分地區盜匪流竄，迫使居民閉走山間，待盜匪離開後，居民們以施放天燈報平安，因此有「平安燈」、「祈福燈」之稱。綜觀各種說法，天燈都有祈求平安、幸福之意。天燈台語發音接近「添丁」，因此有些想生寶寶的民眾，也會到平溪討個吉利放「添丁」。
Q&A about setting off sky lanterns
天燈施放問與答
Photo: Wu liang-yi, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者吳亮儀
Q1: Can I set off sky lanterns in rainy weather?
A1: As long as it is not raining heavily, a light drizzle should be fine since sky lanterns are made of oiled rice paper, which should be waterproof to a certain degree.
Q1: 雨天可以放天燈嗎？
A1: 只要並非是豪大雨，毛毛雨也能放天燈，因為天燈使用表面光滑的宣紙材質，應可抵擋一定程度的水氣。
Q2: Is it safe to set off sky lanterns?
A2: Given that Pingsi is surrounded by mountains, lanterns are unlikely to drift outside Pingsi. According to the New Taipei City Government’s Tourism and Travel Department, even if a lantern falls to the ground before it burns out, it is unlikely to cause a fire due to Pingsi’s 75 percent relative humidity.
Q2: 放天燈安全嗎？
A2: 平溪區的地形提供天然屏障，四面環山導致天燈不太可能飛越，而是落在平溪範圍內。根據新北市政府觀光旅遊局資料，因為平溪相對濕度高達百分之七十五，即便天燈燃燒不完全而掉落地面，也不至於導致火勢蔓延。
(Written by Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times / 台北時報林亞蒂編撰)
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