Souvenir from Taiwan

One of Kai's friends from pre-school is a little girl named Yoshimi. Yoshimi's mother Shuhsin is from Taiwan. Their family visits there often and had been there for Chinese New Year. They brought Kai back a souvenir from the 2006 Taiwan Lantern Festival.

Kai got a real kick out of this little lantern...





I thought it was pretty cool too, so I fired up Google to learn more about it.

This logo was printed on the top of the lantern.
I had not heard of the Taiwan Lantern Festival before. It looks like a pretty cool event. You can see the official website by clicking on the logo.
On the site I learned that these little lanterns were passed out free of charge to children. "They are named "Mechanical Dog" and are designed to inspire an interest in science, technology, and mechanics among children in this new technological age. These lanterns exemplify the concepts of environmental protection and safe toys. They also represent the pursuit of newness and change."

Below are pictures of the event's "Theme Lantern" which according to the website:
...is titled "Pan Hu Re-creates the Heavens." (Pan Hu is a divine hound of Chinese mythology.) This huge lantern masterpiece is in the shape of a mountain with three dogs perched on its flank. The male dog, eyes to the front, is in a powerful and majestic pose as the protector of home and country. The female dog sits with an affectionate attitude at the side of her mate, while their pup plays with a globe-shaped holographic lantern. The idea is to portray a land of stability, ethnic harmony, prosperity, peace, and happiness.

CLICK HERE to see a cool video of the fireworks display at the event!