(^64) Travel Tips
Weather Overview
Weather-wise, September to November is considered the best time to visit Taiwan. This season offers the
perfect combination of cool and dry weather. During most of September, the south stays warm, but
temperatures begin to cool in northern Taiwan, although they're still pleasant. The real problem with the
weather in Taiwan is typhoon season, often lasting from July until September.
Festivals & Religious Ceremonies
January
Foundation Day/New Year's Day. January 1. The day marks the founding of the Republic of China in 1912
but also gives a nod to the beginning of the Gregorian calendar year. As a result, offices and schools are
shut, with many remaining closed on Jan 2 & 3.
Chinese New Year January/February (Lunar). Taiwan's most important festival, marking the start of the
Chinese year. Celebrations centre mostly on family gatherings with lavish meals; "lucky" money in small
red envelopes is exchanged; fairs and public parades are held.
Qingshui Zushi's Birthday (Lunar). January. Commemorates the quasi-historic figure from Fujian, revered
for his wisdom and generosity. Main ceremonies at the Zushi Temple in Sanxia, outside Taipei, including
the ritual slaying of "God Pigs".
Jade Emperor's Birthday (Lunar). January. Pays tribute to the chief Taoist deity, the head of celestial
government thought to mirror that of imperial China—main ceremonies are held at temples in Daxi,
Taichung and Tainan.
Lantern Festival (Lunar). January. Marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities, but it often lasts several
days in big cities such as Taipei and Kaohsiung. The main activity is the public display of paper lanterns;
in some towns, paper lanterns are launched into the sky. Most famously during the Heavenly Lantern
Festival in Pingxi, another popular event is the Beehive Rockets Festival in Yanshui near Tainan, where an
almost 200-year tradition of setting off fireworks has transformed into an annual free-for-all.
February
Peace Memorial Day, February 28. Instituted in 1997, also known as "2-28 Memorial Day", it
commemorates the 2-28 Incident.
February/March
Wenchang Dijun's Birthday Lunar. February. Pays respect to the god of literature or culture, celebrated by
students and their parents ahead of exams. Offerings of incense and wishes are written on colourful
paper placed in glass jars.
March
Guanyin's Birthday (Lunar) February. The goddess of mercy's birthday is celebrated at Buddhist temples
throughout the country, but Taipei's Longshan Temple is the main place to mark the occasion. The event
is also observed at the Zizhu Temple in Neimen (near Kaohsiung), which holds a festival celebrating its
300-plus-year history as one of the most sacred sites for Taiwanese Buddhists. The festival features the
island's most important annual performances of the Song Jiang Battle Array, ritualised martial
performing arts depicting symbolic battles with various traditional weapons, including farm tools.
Youth Day, March 29. Pays tribute to the more than one hundred of Sun Yat-sen's revolutionaries killed in
the failed Canton Uprising against the imperial Qing government on March 29, 1911. Held at the National
Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei.
leana
(Leana)
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