For people wanting to mark New Year in an interesting setting, attending the cultural events organized by Taitung’s Puyuma Aborigines could be an option.
Puyuma villages in the middle of this month began holding a series of celebrations, including the Vasivas (少年祭), Mangayau (大獵祭) and Pubiyaw (羌祭) ceremonies, which are collectively called the annual festival.
Ulivelivek Village (初路部落) festival organizer Chen Teng-tsai (陳登財) said that the village has maintained its traditional ceremonies and visitors would have the chance to witness them in person until New Year’s Day.
The village would hold a New Year’s dance at 9pm on Sunday after the Pubiyaw ceremony, which is held to thank ancestral and mountain spirits, and the dance would last throughout the night into New Year’s Day, Chen said.
Villagers would dance for the first one or two hours, and guests would be invited to participate after that, Chen said.
In the morning, an additional ceremony, the Kituvangsar, or the ceremony of the rite of passage, would be held, Chen said, adding that the annual festivities would not conclude until Tuesday morning next week.
Kasavakan Village (建和部落) on New year’s Day is to hold is unique Katikelruwanan event, which involves a three-story-high swing, local residents said.
The swing is made from bamboo and vines, and is to carry a circlet of flowers symbolizing the honors of the ancestors, local residents said, adding that after the swing is blessed by the village elders and tested for safety, villagers would be called to ride it.
The higher a person swings, the braver they are, and the highest swingers would also have better luck next year, they said, adding that visitors would be invited to experience the ceremony once all the villagers have had their turn.
Other Aboriginal villages, such as Qalang Smangus Village (司馬庫斯), are holding other events in lieu of traditional ceremonies, a local source said.
A priest and village elders are to preside over an event at the village church on New Year’s Eve, reflecting on the year’s activities, and watching pictures and videos, they said, adding that it would conclude at 11:40pm and fireworks would be lit at midnight.
Meanwhile, Bailan Village (白蘭部落) in Hsinchu’s Wufeng Township (五峰) said that while the majority of residents are Atayal, there are some Amis in the village as well, and the village is planning its events in an Amis fashion, recreating the Amis Ilisin ceremony.
Tsou people in Pnguu Village (來吉部落), in Chiayi County’s Alishan Township (阿里山), are to celebrate the coming of the New Year starting from 4pm on New Year’s Eve, a source said.
Singing and partying are to last throughout the night, and fireworks are to be lit at 8pm, the source said, adding that the event could conclude with the singing of the song Pasu Hohcubu (塔山之歌) as midnight approaches.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS