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| Born in the Year of the Snake |
It is easily recognizable that the culture of Taiwan has not been forgotten. Its ties to China and Japan (having ruled from 1895-1945) is still very much a part of the island's traditions. And wonderfully still, their roots to aboriginal tribes are still existing. Temples can be found seemingly around every corner and their beauty has never faltered.
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| Visit to an area still flourishing in aboriginal tribes and traditions. January 2014 |
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Temple in Changhua
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Chinese New Year
What I enjoy most about the culture of Taiwan are the festivals celebrated for the holidays throughout the entire island, and much of Asia, all based on the calendar of the moon. With these holidays comes old folk tales, beliefs, superstitions, and stories prevalently yet subtlely passed down the generations.
The new year begins with the first day of the new moon, somewhere between January 20- February 20. It lasts for 16 days ending with the Lantern Festival. Red envelopes are given to children by their elders, as well as they are often given by companies to employees. Each day has a special purpose, such as a day to visit temples, relatives, and friends, to stay home, to worship Gods or to drive away ghosts. Dragon and lion dances are often in the streets, as well as burning of incense, candles, or firecrackers lit off. The seventh day translates to 'Human Day' and is considered to be the birthday of ordinary men.
When I moved to Taiwan in 2013, it was the Year of the Snake, but my first Chinese New Year celebration was for the Year of the Horse. It was spent with five friends in a mini van around the southern part of the island, enjoying island music and true Taiwanese home-stays. I have now lived here during the Year of the Goat, Monkey, Rooster, and I will leave during the Year of the Dog. 2019 will be the Year of the Pig, the 12th animal in the 12-year cycle.
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| Year of the Goat! |
In 2015, the Year of the Goat, Taiching was the host city for the large lantern festival that takes place every year. While you can still find celebrations in nearly every city, one is chosen for the featured celebrations.
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| Boracay, Philippines CNY 2016 |
As this is our biggest break of the school year, I, along with most of the other English teachers here, fly out of the country during CNY. More than likely the country we are going to is also celebrating. I've been in Japan, Philippines, even Australia, all who celebrated Chinese New Year during this time.
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| Somewhere in Australia. |
Lantern Festival
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| Pingxi Lantern Festival 2017 |
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| Gina & I in Hong Kong for birthday weekend & Lantern Festival (end of CNY). Feb. 2014. |
The Lantern Festival lands on the 15th day of the first lunar month, essentially the night of a full moon. This festival is usually in February or early March. During my first year it happened to land on the 14th, Valentine's Day. My 25th was on the 15th, so I was in Hong Kong instead of Taiwan. It wasn't until 2017 when I finally went to see the REAL lantern festival, like the ones seen in Thailand or Tangled. This unforgettable lantern liftoff can be found near Shifen and Juifen known as Pingxi Lantern Festival.
During the day, before facing the drowning crowds, we joined the hundreds, if not thousands of others, who were painting and lifting off our own lanterns. Each color represent a different kind of luck to bring to your life. Red for good health, yellow for wealth, orange for good luck, pink for love, purple for intelligence, peach for a happy marriage, white for a bright future, green for a good promotion, light blue for work/career.
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J U I F E N
The prettiest little town in Taiwan. |
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Mazu Festivals in Dajia and Chiayi
Here in Taiwan there are some notable festivals for Mazu that take place in Dajia, Miaoli, and many other parts of Taiwan.
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| Mazu is the indigenous goddess of the sea, said to protect fishermen and sailors. |
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Mazu is usually seen with two guardian generals known as "With-the-Wind Ear" and "Thousand-Miles Eyes." These protectors are usually represented as fierce demons, Eyes as green with one horn and Ears red with two horns. The story says that Mazu conquered and subdued these two, turning them into her own loyal guardians.
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| Kelly and I at Mazu festival- 2013 |
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| Young men painted and dressed as Ba Jia Jiang (eight generals). |
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Ghost money burnt for Gods at peak of religious ritual.
Other times burnt for ancestors in the afterlife and to return good fortune. |
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| Fireworks and dances between guardians to scare off bad spirits following believers. |
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| Fun Fact: Woman are not to enter any temples when on their period. This was also true in Indonesia and Myanmar where woman were not even allowed into some holy areas. |
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| Randomly came across while traveling through Chiayi. |
> Wang Yeh Boat Burning Festival in Donggong <
Happens every three years, a very unique Taoist Tradition in Taiwan.
Tomb Sweeping Day / Children's Day
15th day after Spring Equinox
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| The cutest little man enjoying cotton candy. |
Tomb Sweeping Day is the resemblance of a Chinese Memorial Day. A day to visit the tombs of your ancestors to clean the grave site, pray, and more than likely burn ghost money, also known as joss paper.
The date for International Children's Day varies in countries all over the world. In Taiwan, it is designated on April 4. It was canceled as a public holiday in 2000, but reinstated in 2011. The US does not have an assigned Children's Day such as we do with Mother's Day or Father's Day. However, Taiwan does not have it's own Mother's Day and has adopted the date we use in the US. Father's day is 8/8. 'Ba' is 8, 'baba' is father, therefore you have the date 8/8.
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The Yoyoban Koala's Class after whipping up some cotton candy. Children's Day 2017
Every year students get a gift from the school and we all get a four day weekend. |
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Spring Break on the Beach 2014
The biggest beach party in Taiwan happens over this long weekend the first week in April. |
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| Last Spring Break- April 2017 |
Dragon Boat Festival
5th day of the 5th lunar month
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Fishing boat of Lanyu's (Orchid Island) Tao people.
I spent 2015 and 2016 Dragon Boat weekends in Lanyu diving, more on that beautiful island later. |
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| The Xiaoban Polar Bears getting ready to make zongzi, a special sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. June 2018 |
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NOT MY PHOTO
While I have gone to watch the dragon boat races in the hot summer solstice sun in Kaohsiung once. I usually spend this long weekend in June doing my own favorite hobby in the water, scuba diving. |
Ghost Festival
15th day of the seventh lunar month
The biggest restriction during Ghost Month is to NOT go swimming. So on the last weekend before Ghost Month the beaches are packed with all those getting their last bit of fun in the ocean. Ghost Month runs for the entire seventh lunar month and is believed to be when ghosts and spirits of ancestors can visit the living. The 'hungry ghosts are released to the world in search of food, money, entertainment, etc.' Other beliefs, or superstitions, that I have heard and seen during Ghost Month; Don't whistle at night; Don't turn your head around if someone pats you on the shoulder; Don't kill insects in your home; and Don't hang clothes outside to dry.
A great group of Taiwanese teachers took half the English teachers
down to Kenting before Ghost Month, early August 2013.
Mid- Autumn Festival
15th day of the eighth lunar month
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| Pomelo, the huge citrus fruit of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Considered to be the Moon Goddess Chang'e's favorite fruit. In Chinese the name for Pomelo, 'you zi,' also has the meaning of 'prayer for a son.' Therefore putting the pomelo peelings on your head signifies a prayer for the youth in your family. |
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The Mid-Autumn Festival wouldn't be the same
without days-long BBQs and Moon Cakes. |
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| Wuchang Temple in Jiji that collapsed after the 9/21/99 earthquake, the strongest one of the century. |
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| Largest Buddhist Memorial in Taiwan - Fo Guang Shan |
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| Christmas in Taipei 2017 |
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| Dragon and Tiger Pagodas in Kaohsiung with my cousin Jessica; May 2018 |
Other well known superstitions in Taiwan:
Don't write another persons name in red; wishes them severe injury or even death.
Don't point at the moon; disrespectful to Moon Goddess and your ear will be cut.
Don't pick up red envelope on the street; a man who does this will need to take a ghost bride.
Four is an unlucky number as it's name in Mandarin sounds like the word for death.
Mole hair is a sign of luck and longevity; I've often seen this on men.
Don't stick your chopsticks into bowl, lay them across, resembles incense in prayer.
Knock on a hotel door before entering so the ghosts will know to leave.
And my favorite, was hearing a story of a mother-in-law who put a shovel under the bed of her daughter-in-law, in hopes she would become pregnant with a boy, and she did!
Thank for reading! - K
What I enjoy most about the culture of Taiwan are the festivals celebrated for the holidays throughout the entire island, and much of Asia, all based on the calendar of the moon. With these holidays comes old folk tales, beliefs, superstitions, and stories prevalently yet subtlely passed down the generations. 
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