Focus of their Calendar of Taiwan
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Focus of their calendar
Taiwan celebrates many different celebrations as a whole. However, I’m going to zoom into 2 festivals which I feel that are relatable to the indigenous culture of Yami tribe.
- Dragon Boat Festival
This festival is known to be one of the important festivals among the Chinese in Taiwan. Known to have the power to ward off the “evil spirits and diseases”, it is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of every year. Today, this festival is widely celebrated to commemorate Chu Yuan, a poet who committed suicide. (Rooms, 2011) Boat races are held regularly to do so as well. In relation as compared to the culture of the Yami tribe, both can be seen as being stubborn about their cultures. They have the perseverance of ensuring that their beliefs are being passed down. This can be seen in the dragon boat festivals where they try to entice the youths by introducing dragon boat while in Yami tribe, during the great boat culture, the men of the families are required to build their own boat to fish.
- Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-autumn festival which is also known as the moon cake festival is celebrated yearly in the middle of the eighth lunar Chinese month where the full moons appear. It is also considered one of the largest celebrations in Taiwan. During the festival, families will gather together for reunion. This occasion was brought about by the sacrificial of the moon goddess. Also, eating of moonquakes, lanterns have integrated together with the festival. (rooms, 2011)
In comparison with Yami tribe, the culture that the city people of Taiwan practices are a form of enjoyment and relaxation. Not only promote family bonding and cohesiveness. However, the Yami tribe is different as compared to the Flying Fish culture where they hunt for fish for a living. They need to do so as it is their means of living to them.
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