New Taipei Water Festival

The custom of water splashing springs from the New Year traditions of Southeast Asia, where, during the New Year holiday, friends and acquaintances splash each other, and even strangers, with water. This symbolizes the washing away of the past year’s disappointments, and at the same time is a symbolic blessing for the other person in the coming year.

New Taipei City has Taiwan’s largest population of immigrants, and the neighborhood around Zhonghe District’s Huaxin Street has the highest concentration of overseas Myanmar-Chinese residents. As a result, a unique local dining and commercial district has sprung up in the area that has a distinctly Southeast Asia character. In recognition of this one-of-a-kind area, the New Taipei Water Festival, the city’s version of the traditional Songkran Festival, is held on Huaxin Street each April. At the festival, immigrant residents and locals celebrate the Myanmarese/Thai New Year together. This New Taipei City festival has a distinctively international cultural flavor.