Hundreds of people wearing colorful costumes and big smiling masks are on Sunday to parade through the streets of Taipei in celebration of one of the Philippines’ most joyous festivals, its organizers said yesterday.
The Taipei MassKara Festival parade is to start at 1pm, leaving from St Christopher’s Church in Zhongshan District (中山) and proceeding along Zhongshan N Road, and Nongan and Shuangcheng streets, to Qingguang Park, organizers said.
The festival is intended to bring smiles to people’s faces amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism, Taipei Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Lan Shih-tsung (藍世聰) told a news conference.
“Taipei is a diverse and friendly city, so we hope that all our immigrants, old and new, will feel that Taiwan cares about them,” Lan said.
The Taipei City Government also hopes that the parade, which is expected to attract about 1,000 participants, would help boost spirits among immigrants and migrant workers from countries heavily affected by the pandemic, he said.
The parade is to feature costumes designed by Filipino designer and migrant worker Mark Lester Reyes, whose work has made him a household name among Taiwan’s Philippine community.
About 32 Filipino migrant workers at the parade would wear his designs, some of which are made from recycled items, such as plastic spoons, Reyes said.
“Be amazed by the Filipino culture shown on the day and see for yourself how migrant factory workers and caregivers can portray their talent,” he told the news conference.
Working with the city government, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei scouted Filipino talent in Taiwan to source some of the masks to be featured in the parade, office Vice Chairman and Deputy Resident Representative Gilberto Lauengco said.
The MassKara Festival, also known as the “Festival of Smiles,” is one of the biggest in the Philippines. It originated in Bacolod in the 1980s during a crisis, when the price of sugar, the region’s main source of income, dropped to an all-time low.
The city’s residents responded by donning colorful costumes that featured bright smiling masks to signal their intention to overcome the crisis.
Since then, MassKara has been celebrated annually in October, with Bacolod becoming known as “The City of Smiles.”
“This festival symbolizes the resiliency of Filipinos in times of hardship,” Lauengco said. “It shows that Filipinos are tough and would be able to survive even in the direst of situations with a smile on their faces. Despite this pandemic, it serves as a timely reminder that there is still hope and that we can smile in the face of adversity and eventually emerge stronger than ever.”
There are about 7,000 Filipinos among the 45,648 migrant workers in Taipei, according to government data.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS