Releasing the Sky Lanterns - Free Activity @ Shifen in Taipei [Taiwan]

The releasing of lanterns to the sky is such a popular activity in Shifen that I could almost certainly say that should the authority decide to ban it; half the business will die, not to mention the drastic reduction in tourist numbers.

It's my dad's first visit to Shifen and since the releasing of sky lanterns was a free activity as part of our tour package; of course we had to make full use of it by stepping into the designated shop.

Awaiting the staff member to help us set up the lanterns. Releasing the lantern to the sky was the final step; what's most important were the wishes we intend to pen on the lantern! 

Pricing for your reference; single color cost NT$200 whereas multi-colored lantern was slightly more expensive at NT$250. There were different colors to choose from but maybe because we were part of the tour package; it was the most auspicious color chosen for us. 

The blood red for health and peace.  

And all ready for us to doodle! 

My handwriting was bad enough with a simple ballpoint pen. Give me a calligraphy brush and I can so guarantee you that the words would likely turn out to be illegible, unless i write big big. Not to mention the mess as well.

Okay, I did my best. 

Frankly, I was quite satisfied with the words; especially when it had been ages since I last written a Chinese character, except for my own names! 

Rest of our tour mates giving a go at their own lanterns. Since this was a free activity, each lantern was said to be shared by four persons. As it was just my dad and I, we had to co-share the lantern with a mother and daughter. Weird indeed as it's a lantern filled with wishes from two separate families. 

I knew for a fact that paper would be burned to provide lift to the lantern; what I didn't know was the use of incense papers, those we commonly burn as offerings for deities and the departed! 

Once the lantern was sufficiently lifted, it's time to pass one of our mobile phones to the staff member. Trust them as they would have taken thousands of photographs for visitors! 

The guy assigned to us was quick, and asked, almost in a robotic manner, for us to make the various poses for our co-shared lantern. I have blurred out the faces for the mother and daughter for privacy reasons! Wait, why did my dad make a middle-finger gesture in the second photo?! 

Sharing the gif for ease of viewing!

Final photograph to conclude the successful release. The guy took so many photographs for us that one or two were bound to be pretty good. It also helped that the sky was in our favor that day.

Hope my dad had fun!  

Video of a beautifully released sky lantern. Honestly, I am not likely to partake in this activity ever again. What appeared to be visually so appealing turned out to be terrible pollution in the making, and I don't know how it can be made more sustainable for the environment.

Do refer to the above photograph, which showed the massive amount of sky lanterns that dotted the canopy of trees surrounding Shifen old street. Zoom out further and there will be a lot more! 

=====

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers