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Taitung Times Vol.02.2021 - time for taitung
Pinuyumayan Year Festival (Amiyan) In most of the occidental countries, Thanksgiving has been a celebration of the blessings of the year. In Asia, Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar calendar and enjoys a family reunion dinner. The Han people will hang up spring couplets is to place hope in the future and hope that the future will bring them good luck. Except Han people, there are one-third of indigenous live in Taitung, they also embraces gratitude, blessings and inheritance at the end of the year- the Pinuyumayan group. How do they celebrate it? The youths are getting ready to hunt and preparing the gears in Xiabinlang Tribal Village (Pinaski), one of the Pinuyumayan tribe in Taitung. Hunting Festival (Mangayaw) is held in a traditional hunting ground during Pinuyumayan Year Festival (Amiyan). The elders lead the youths and warriors, teach them hunting and gathering skills in the mountains. During the hunting ceremony, they live in the primitive mountains day and night, learning the wisdom of the elderly, which is of great significance to the cultural heritage of the Pinuyumayan group. On the last day of the Hunting Festival, women put on beautiful traditional costumes waiting for the triumphant return of hunters. Families bring flowers, betel nuts, and wine to welcome the warriors back. Mothers feel proud of their husbands and sons with tears. Because of this Hunting Festival, Xiabinlang Tribal Village (Pinaski) permeated with great tenderness and joy. After the hunters got rid of their exhaustion, they put on the traditional Pinuyumayan clothes and garlands. In traditions, the more respectable elders in the tribe, the more wreaths they wear, and the weight of happiness on their necks also symbolize the respect and love of the tribe. The funeral ceremony is another tradition during Pinuyumayan Year Festival. People in the tribe use mutual support and care to help the bereaved family remove grief and taboos and welcome new hope. It is because the tribe retains traditional values in today’s society that people can see that it belongs to the roots of Pinaski tribel village. The sorrow and bad luck have been thrown away with the support of the tribe, the tribe is exciting to welcome the New Year.
Live Slow, Soak Slower Over the Lunar New Year holiday, many people in Taiwan may head to a curated hot spring resort in Taitung. The comfort and convenience of these resorts attract plenty of tourists, especially over the holidays. However, the all-natural Jinfeng Hot Spring is a great alternative to navigating the crowds. If you want something simpler and more eco-friendly, put a fresh battery in your electric scooter and hit the road. The 45-minute journey out there is quite scenic and worth it regardless of your final destination. Outside of the city center, development starts trickling down and comes to a halt right after Sanhe Village. The road suddenly opens up and there is a sweeping, dramatic view of untouched sandy coastline. The sideroad off of the highway winds up a small canyon draped in lush jungle canopy. The road eventually ends at an outcropping that overlooks a dry riverbed and the surrounding mountains. In the distance, a tall column of white steam billows up from the hot springs. A short walk gets visitors to the main attraction, hot water on a cold winter’s day. Jinfeng Hot Spring itself is a blue-gray pond nestled between two slopes that are covered in small pale-green trees. The first portion is a comfortable lukewarm that is deep enough to fully submerge while lying flat. For those looking for something more stimulating, venture forth. The water gets progressively hotter and deeper as you move towards the small, scalding-hot stream at the end of the pond. Find a comfortable temperature and enjoy the odorless, mineral-rich water that leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. Some people also bring along a tent, a picnic and spend the day like a local, relaxing and eating in nature. Just remember to respect indigenous customs by taking your trash and leaving before sundown. The Paiwan people believe that spirits inhabit the area at night. Even though you can’t spend the night, a full day of living slow at Jinfeng Hot Spring will melt away the stress that’s been building up since the last Chinese Lunar New Year.
Dulan Life Festival Who said that we cannot go abroad during Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions? Then we welcomed you to enter Dulan country. Dulan (A’TOLAN) means a pile of stones in the Amis language. A village that full of traditional Amis and exotic cultures. When walking on the street, travelers always feel like they are immersed in an international village. The Life Festival accumulates the community from elderly to youths, and men and women. They believe that through their participation and contribution, travelers can understand and experience the traditional culture of Amis and the life in Dulan. Dulan Life Festival commenced its opening dates from December 18th 2020 through January 3th 2021 in beautiful Dulan Village. The youths designed ‘Dulan country passport’ and welcomed travelers to become a virtual citizen in this charming country. In order to present the Dulan Amis lifestyle, the festival focused on 4 themed activities: tribal rituals, local experience, creation dialogue, and indigenous concerts. What’s life style in Dulan? Everyone would say: ‘Slow-Life’. In the daytime, locals respectfully jump into the ocean and walk into the mountain, or enjoy a coffee while leaning on Dulan Mountain and facing the Pacific Ocean. Locals love to swing to the music with a beer in sugar factory or go to the beach soaking in the night that full of stars. Dulan Life Festival gave locals and travelers an opportunity to slow down and encouraged everyone to live balance with nature. In this modern society, since teenagers left their native village in the hope of finding better education resources, most of them lost their traditional ability. However, the festival gathered them back home to join the hunting ceremony and initiation rite. To make this festival even more memorable, locals provided activities in conjunction with this carnival. Travelers could enjoyed indigenous singers Banai (巴奈) and Ado (阿洛) composed a beautiful melody of land and ocean. Through the lyrics, they learned the wisdom of how locals extracted resources from nature but also live in peace with nature. In addition, locals proactively promote the ideas of eco-friendly. They supplied travelers to use reusable utensils and bamboo bowl as a container, and fostered everyone to embrace living in a more sustainable life. The ultimate goal is to be able to live in a better and modern world, increase the depth of life, and find inner peace. Through the life festival, travelers were expected to be able to master the pace and rhythm of their life under any circumstances as responsible travelers. We hope you can come to check out the Dulan Life Festival in the future under the twinkling stars in Dulan Village.
Happy New Year!
Upcoming Events ・ February ・ Chinese New Year ・ Bombing of Master Handan March ・ Flying Fish Season at Orchid Island ・ The Hakka Tung Blossom Festival ・ 8th Annual Luye Marathon April ・ 2021 Challenge Taiwan ・ Ear-Shooting Festival (Malahodaigian Ritual) ・ National Traditional Archery Competition
* PLEASE NOTE: Event dates are subject to change or cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please also refer to the websites of specific events for more information.