Holidays in Taiwan

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, three holidays which are big in the West, but small in the East. In fact, they have really only been receiving popularity in the past couple of decades. Of course, these are more Christian and American holidays (save New Years), but, as you might say "our holidays" are slowing making way into the Eastern world.
As Thanksgiving was coming, I was not for one to skip out on one of the few times of the year that I could pig out more than usual. So I searched and searched for Thanksgiving celebrations in Taiwan: either a parade, an event, or even just a place to have dinner. Nothing. Well, nothing more than the occasional bar putting on a "Western Thanksgiving Evening." Now, being away from America I was kind of speculative of a full-out Western Thanksgiving. But I really wanted to give it a shot, as I couldn't miss out on an important holiday for me!
So I grabbed some friends and we went out to a bar called "The Tavern," which was more of a sports bar: with tv's all around, nice booths, and plenty of beer and alcohol you could have for all your sports. But when we arrived the place wasn't that full, but at the far end of the room was a huge buffet of food. I rushed over and saw turkey, potatoes, stuffing, ham, desserts, and even some Chinese dishes to fill in the gaps! YES!

Now Christmas was a different matter. Christmas is celebrated over here due to the Christian tradition, but it is not filled with the Baby Jesus theme. Instead it is everything BUT that. I mean, sure, you can find places with Jesus in them (churches), but otherwise the tradition of gift giving, gathering for food, and decorating are all in big themes. For instance, Taipei 101's shopping mall and surrounding grounds were decorated with lights, Christmas trees, and even a "Christmas Lover's Lane" which had little shops. Pretty cool! Christmas music was in the air, and a certain joy was everywhere. I definitely felt Christmas here, but with no snow and asian cuisine :)

(This is a photo of the "Leg Christmas Tree" near Taipei 101. A little twist on the traditional tree)

New Year's Eve was a different prospect though. Although it wasn't the thing where everyone gathered around and watched football or whatnot, but everyone gathered to the Taipei 101 area to enjoy concerts by various Taiwanese pop stars, shows, and great food. There were tons and tons of people, filling every possible intersection and road where you could clearly see the 101. The 101, however, was decked out with tons of fireworks that went up in a show of massive proportions. It was spectacular! Below is a video of how it worked out.