In celebration of the Philippine's annual Masskara Festival, hundreds of people in "smiling" masks and colorful costumes will parade through the streets of Taipei on Sunday (Sept. 20).
為慶祝菲律賓一年一度的面具嘉年華，9月20日星期日，數百名將戴著“微笑”口罩和色彩鮮豔的服飾在台北街頭慶祝遊行。
The cultural parade, organized by the Taipei Department of Civil Affairs, will start from St Christopher's Church in Zhongshan District at 3 p.m. Sunday and end at Qingguang Park. The city government said all new immigrants and migrant workers from the Philippines and other countries are welcome to participate.
台北市民政局的文化大遊行將從星期日下午3點在中山區的聖克里斯托弗教堂開始，於晴光公園結束。市政府說，歡迎菲律賓和其他國家的所有新移民參加。
Lan Shih-tsung (藍世聰), commissioner of the Taipei Department of Civil Affairs, explained that the festival is intended to bring positive energy to the community amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as celebrate the city's diversity and cultural inclusiveness. He said more than 20 new immigrant groups have registered to walk in the parade with Masskara and their self-made costumes.
台北市民政局局長藍世聰解釋說，這個節日旨在在冠狀病毒大流行期間為社區帶來積極的能量，並慶祝這座城市的多樣性和文化包容性。他說，已有20多個新移民團體報名參加了遊行，他們身著面具及其自製服裝。
Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) pointed out that approximately 56,000 new immigrant families and 45,000 migrant workers currently live in the city. He said they have brought exciting cultural elements into Taipei and he hopes the Masskara Festival can bring different ethnic groups together through their smiles, reported Liberty Times.
台北市副市長蔡炳坤指出，目前大約有56,000個新移民家庭和45,000個移工居住在該市。據《自由時報》報導，他說，他們將令人興奮的文化元素帶入台北，他希望面具嘉年華能夠通過他們的笑容將不同的種族群體聚集在一起。
Besides the street dancing parade, the event features treasure hunting activities as well as the Masskara Design Competition at the Qingguang Commercial Area (晴光商圈). Colorful masks will also be given away at the plaza next to EEC Global TK on Zhongshan N. Road to people who want to join the parade.
除街頭舞蹈遊行外，該活動還包括尋寶活動以及晴光商圈的“ 面具設計比賽”。在中山北路EEC Global TK旁邊的廣場上，還會贈送彩色面具。
Also known as the "Festival of Smiles," the Masskara began in 1980 in the Philippine city of Bacolod during a period of economic crisis. The price of sugar cane, the primary source of income for the province, was at an all-time low, so the local government decided to launch the event to pull the residents out of the pervasive gloom.
Masskara面具嘉年華也被稱為“微笑的節日”，於1980年在經濟危機時期始於菲律賓城市巴科洛德（Bacolod）。甘蔗的價格原是該省的主要收入來源，其價格一直處於歷史最低水平，因此，當地政府決定啟動該活動，以將居民從普遍的困境中解脫出來。
Since then, the Massakara has become one of the foremost festivals in the Philippines and is celebrated every October.
從那時起，Massakara面具嘉年華已成為菲律賓最重要的節日之一，每年10月都會慶祝。
Source: Taiwan News
