FIRECRACKER FIGHTS & A FLOOD OF BURNING BALLOONS: TAIWAN WRAPS UP THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON CELEBRATIONS IN HIGH STYLE

Hundreds of buttercup-bright lanterns squiggle into Taiwan’s night sky. Powered by tiny lamps, the bamboo-and-rice-paper balloons sway as the heat – and the crowd’s sighs – carry away scrawled hopes of love, success and prosperity.

The finale of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, the Lantern Festival first ignited more than 2,000 years ago. The mythology varies, but always anchors off good relations between families, people, nature and the higher powers that return the light each spring.

In 2012, the Taiwanese welcomed the Year of the Dragon by showering men in firecrackers, said to bring luck and show respect to the gods (Taitung and Tainan). A 40-tonne (88,185lb) glowing dragon – the largest lantern ever – dominated the bash in Changhua County.

Read more and see the full, glorious slideshow at Wandermelon.com...