Hsinchu Yi Min Festival: Highlights Include Giant Pig Contest, Lantern Raising, and Water Lantern Release

▲ Hsinchu Hakka Yi Min Festival event. (Photo / Courtesy of the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications website)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The "Hsinchu Yi Min Festival," which celebrates the loyal and righteous spirit of the Hakka people, kicked off on the 17th. Devotees from 35 Yi Min temples and 15 major village rotation ceremony areas across the country joined in the festivities. In addition to the opening ceremony’s grand street parade carnival, a series of events will be held from the 20th to the 26th, including presenting petitions to the gods, lantern raising, water lantern release, and the annual highlight — the "Giant Pig Contest." On the evening of the 24th, performances by celebrities such as Alien Huang and Fei Yu-ching were also featured.

▲ Hsinchu Hakka Yi Min Festival event. (Photo / Courtesy of the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications website)

The Hsinchu County Government stated that the Yi Min Festival commemorates the over 200 Hakka militia who sacrificed their lives to protect their hometowns and people during the early Qing Dynasty in the Hsinchu area. Traditional ceremonial rituals include lantern raising, water lantern release, carrying burdens, the Black Flag’s Return to the Mother Temple, and the Great King Yeh, and the festival has been celebrated for over 220 years. Every July, Yi Min temples across Taiwan hold Yi Min Festival events, and since the Hsinpu Yi Min Temple is considered the main temple for all Yi Min temples nationwide and a center of faith for the Hakka people, it attracts Yi Min branch temples from all regions to return to their “spiritual home.”

% Homecoming festival activities? Route features "Giant Pig Contest" (Photo / Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Among the Yi Min Festival events, the Giant Pig Contest draws significant attention. Recently, the county government displayed a giant pig-themed art installation in the Cultural Affairs Bureau plaza to build excitement for the contest. The "Song of the Hakka – Righteousness Soars to the Heavens" celebration gala held on the evening of the 24th featured performances by artists including Alien Huang, Fei Yu-ching, Luo Shifeng, Matthew Lien, as well as performances by domestic and international performance troupes such as the Nine Heavens Folk Art Troupe at the County Gymnasium.