By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Reported and Compiled by Lee Hsin-yi
The “2013 Hakka Village Twelve Major Festivals” event has officially kicked off. Since its inception in 2009, this year not only features 18 festivals selected from Hakka villages across Taiwan, but also includes three major festivals organized by the Council for Hakka Affairs — the “Six Districts Carnival,” the “Hakka Tung Blossom Festival,” and the “Hakka Traditional Opera Year-End Performance.” In total, there are 21 festival events that will enliven Taiwan throughout the year starting from January.
The 2012 Hakka Tung Blossom Festival attracted over six million visitors. (Photo / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, Chen Guan-hsin)
Huang Yu-chen, Chairman of the Council for Hakka Affairs, pointed out that based on the estimated tourism impact of the 2012 “Hakka Tung Blossom Festival,” which drew over six million visitors and generated an economic output of more than 20 billion NTD, this year’s (2013) “Hakka Village Twelve Major Festivals” are expected to attract over ten million visitors to Hakka villages, create an economic output exceeding 30 billion NTD, and increase local employment opportunities — definitely making a strong impression on fellow Hakka people.
In addition to continuing popular festivals such as the “Miaoli Fire Dragon Festival,” “Tian Chuan Day,” and the “Tung Blossom Festival,” the 2013 “Hakka Village Twelve Major Festivals” will, for the first time, include the century-old “Noon Striking Cultural Festival” from Baoshan Township in Hsinchu County. Chairman Huang explained that “Noon Striking” is a custom in Baoshan Township where, on the 14th and 15th days of the first lunar month during the divine parade, the designated village responsible for “Noon Striking” sets up food stalls offering their signature Hakka dishes for the parade participants and villagers. Everyone eats the dishes until they’re all gone, praying for a “clean plate, good new year.” Although this deeply Hakka-flavored event has gradually declined over the past few decades, it is hoped that through the “Hakka Village Twelve Major Festivals,” this Hakka tradition can be continued and expanded. Not only can older generations of Hakka people relive childhood memories, but younger generations can also get closer to their Hakka heritage.
The Council for Hakka Affairs organizes the “Hakka Village Twelve Major Festivals” every year to ensure that festivals from various Hakka villages are included. (Photo provided by the Council for Hakka Affairs)
The “Hakka Village Twelve Major Festivals” will host a series of celebrations full of Hakka characteristics across Taiwan, including: in January, the “Hakka Pickled Vegetable Culture Festival” in Gongguan, Miaoli; in February, the “Miaoli Fire Dragon Festival,” the “Baoshan Township Noon Striking Cultural Festival,” the “Pingtung Six Districts God of the Land Cultural Festival,” and the “Dongshi New Sons Festival”; in March, the “Tian Chuan Day” Hakka Mountain Song Competition in Hsinchu, the “Six Districts Carnival”; in April, the “Hakka Tung Blossom Festival”; in May, the “Toufen April 8 Hakka Culture Festival”; in June, the “Sanyi Cloud Fire Dragon Festival” and Taoyuan’s “Tung Boat Homecoming Cultural Festival”; in July, Hualien’s “Joyful Gongs and Drums Filled with Hakka Sentiment & Drum King Competition”; in August, the “Hsinchu Righteous People’s Culture Festival” and the “Neiwan Comic Festival”; in September, Pingzhen’s “Kirin Welcoming Deities & Granting Peace” and Yunlin’s “Zhao’an Hakka Culture Festival”; in October, the “Hsinchu County International Drum Art Festival”; in November, the “Guoxing Township Seizing Success” and “Kaohsiung Night-blooming Cereus Festival”; in December, the “Taitung Good Rice Year-End Harvest Festival” and the “Hakka Traditional Opera Year-End Performance.”
● Read More: Hsinchu Beipu Mazu Parade – Hakka “Noon Striking” Banquet for Peace
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