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Qixi Festival aka Chinese Valentine’s Day: The Folklore in a Nutshell
Love is in the air again as Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on August 16 this year.
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Lao Mythology: The Myth of the Toad King
Bang Fai, otherwise known as the Rocket Festival, is celebrated every year in northeast Thailand and Laos. Ask anyone who knows anything about the Rocket Festival and they'll probably tell you that Bang Fai are launched every year in April to bring rain. This centuries old tradition is said to have its origins in an ancient story known as The Myth of the Toad King. However, what's strange about this myth is that it seems to imply the opposite of what Bang Fai is all about. It says that rain brings the rockets. As presented by Yasothon and Nong Khai:
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Laos’ Enigmatic Plain of Jars
Heading to Laos? You must see the enigmatic Plain of Jars in Ponsavon. The meadows outside of town are home to hundreds of giant stone jars.
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Yeh-Shen: The Chinese Cinderella
Did you know the first written Cinderella story, called Yeh-Shen, was written in 850 A.D. in China? Read on to read the story of the Chinese Cinderella.
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Through the Dragon’s Eye
We were heading home on the bike the other day and were crossing a bridge, when I noticed some extremely bright lights on the far bank. For us to even notice a bunch of extra lights in the neon world of Taipei is pretty rare, so we figured we’d better see what all the fuss was about. Sure enough, it was a big fuss. We’d been lucky enough to stumble on some sort of Taoist street festival. There was enough power and energy here to light a small country. The lights and street action resembled a carnival from back home, only without the crazy merry-go-round music and annoying vendors. All…
