Reported by Chan Tsung-han (Jincheng)

The "2019 Kinmen Lantern Festival" will kick off with much excitement on February 19 (January 15 by the Lunar Calendar). Lantern Festival performances and exhibitions will be held at the Qing Dynasty Military Headquarters and its surrounding area. To boost the crowd appeal of the Kinmen Lantern Festival, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) of Kinmen County organized the "Golden Pig Heralds Happiness at Lantern Festival" event. Government agencies, organizations and schools are invited to take part to make the Lantern Festival an even more interesting experience for visitors.

The floral lantern exhibition at the "2019 Kinmen Lantern Festival" will run from February 19 through to February 25 for a total of 7 days. To promote the traditional festival culture as well as support lantern-making traditions and innovations, Kinmen CAB is hosting the "Golden Pig Heralds Happiness at Lantern Festival - Creative Lantern Challenge." The four competition categories are Government Agencies, Society, School Groups and Individual Students. Up to NT$600,000 in cash prizes are on offer. The competition will see all kinds of creative lanterns shared with the public to increase living aesthetics and provide highlights for tourism & marketing.

According to the CAB, the theme “Golden Pig Heralds Happiness at Lantern Festival" was chosen because this is the Year of the Pig. To give the entire New Year holidays a more festive atmosphere, the general public is encouraged to take part in unleashing their creativity, upholding a team spirit, learning traditional crafts and embracing new challenges. Those who are willing to try and engage their creative talents will have a chance to win big cash prizes.

The winners list will be announced on Kinmen Daily News on the day of the Lantern Festival (February 19). The award presentation ceremony will be held at the square in front of the Qing Dynasty Military Headquarters at 6:30PM on the evening of February 21. The competition rules can be found on the Kinmen County CAB website or the "Kinmen Lantern Festival" Facebook fan page. If you have any questions, please call Ms. Tang on 0952117950.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Kinmen County invites everyone to create and light up original floral lanterns everywhere for Lantern Festival. (Provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Kinmen County)