By Wayne Chang, CNN

Taipei (CNN) — Harry Li never thought that an online event he created to celebrate New Year’s Eve just for laughs would become the talk of the town.

Instead of typical celebrations that include fireworks, going to concerts or partying, some in Taiwan are joining the 22-year-old university student to mark the arrival of 2025 in an unusual way — by crying.

It all started in 2023 as a light-hearted joke on Facebook, with Li calling on people to head to downtown Taipei’s Da’an Forest Park – the city’s equivalent of New York’s Central Park — on New Year’s Eve to weep for half an hour, a nod to a scene from the popular Taiwanese film ”Vive L’Amour.”

Directed by Taiwan-based Malaysian filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang, the movie won the top prize at the Venice International Film Festival in 1994. It portrays three young city dwellers going through the tedium, loneliness and disillusionment that many considered characteristic of urban life in Taipei in the 1990s, a period of rapid modernization and change.

In the scene that inspired Li to create the event, the female protagonist sits down on a bench at an outdoor theater in Da’an Forest Park and bursts into tears, crying for seven minutes straight, before lighting a cigarette and staring into the void.

But what started as a joke soon gained traction, with nearly 16,000 users expressing interest in attending Li’s New Year’s Eve event. Hundreds showed up at the park to cry, laugh, drink, sing, dance, chat and blow off steam, transforming the flashmob-style gathering into a colorful spectacle to usher in 2024.

“I never thought people would actually show up. I never thought it would go viral,” Li told CNN Travel.

He’s throwing it again this year, with over 33,000 people already expressing an interest in joining. The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute has jumped on the bandwagon, hosting an outdoor screening of ”Vive L’Amour” at the park, with the original cast joining the crowd to send off 2024, the 30th anniversary of the film’s premiere.

“I used up a pack of tissues”

CNN Travel spoke with several people who attended the 2023-into-2024 event. They described the overall atmosphere as carefree, egalitarian and spontaneous.

People drank and shared food. Some blasted music and danced to the beat of the drums. Others snapped selfies of themselves making crying faces. Some sat on the benches, immersing themselves in the moment. Those who needed a moment of emotional release were given the space to do so.

“I really cried! I used up a pack of tissues while crying as I got out of my chest all the bad things I’ve encountered this year,” Aster Chang, who attended the event, wrote on Facebook.

Chen Chu-yuan, a 27-year-old wine salesperson, shed a few tears as he thought of a friend who had died abruptly.

“At that time and venue, if you cry, people would really come and comfort you and not point fingers at you,” Chen told CNN Travel.

Li says seeing people open up that night left a great impression on him.

“People drank and talked, and some shared their stories,” he said. “Everyone just had a great time.”

That is why Chen is going again this year.

“I felt a huge connection at the time; strangers coming together and bonding in those hours,” he said. “It was quite rare and moving.”

It’s okay not to be okay

While spontaneity, quirkiness and creativity made cryathon popular, it was the implicitly cathartic message that really resonated with those who attended – that it is ok to not be ok, even on a festive day like New Year’s Eve.

Similar to elsewhere in the world, people in Taiwan tend to enjoy such occasions with dates, friends or families. But celebrations can be tough for those who feel down or lonely, especially with the prevalence of social media.

“Jealousy and comparison with others are ways of how long-term use of social media are correlated with negative emotions,” Kang Ting-yu, an associate professor specializing in gender and media studies at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, told CNN Travel.

That is why this event has resonated with so many, as it affirms the idea that “there isn’t a uniform way of living and expressing emotions,” added Chen.

Li expressed a similar view.

“Some might feel that being single or alone at such occasions is quite pathetic,” he said. “But it’s ok to be sad on New Year’s Eve. You don’t necessarily have to be happy on that day.”

In recent years, mental health issues have received increased attention globally. In Taiwan, studies indicate that between 2010 and 2020, one in every four people between 30 and 45 displayed signs of depression or anxiety, the highest prevalence among other age groups.

In response, Taiwan launched a free counseling program for those aged between 15 and 30, which was then further expanded to support those between 31 and 45.

“In a fast-changing, fast-paced society, the government should invest more resources in the field of mental health to safeguard the people’s overall health,” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said in late November during a committee meeting focused on health.

For professor Chang Shu-sen, a suicide prevention and mental health researcher at the National Taiwan University, the event reflects Taiwan’s increased focus on mental health, which is a welcome development.

“In addition to raising awareness of the importance of mental health, we also need concrete ways for people to seek help and help others,” Chang told CNN Travel.

For Li, he is glad that what started as a fun social media post allowed people to blow off some steam and had the accidental effect of helping others.

“For those who came to the park to actually cry, I hope they won’t have to do it again next year, and get to enjoy a happy New Year’s Eve,” says Li.

The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute will screen “Vive L’Amour” at Da’an Forest Park in Taipei on December 31, 2024 at 9:45 p.m.