What interesting traditional customs are still observed
in Taiwan?
Tradition colors the lives of many people in Taiwan. Described below are some of the unique customs pertaining to the four major phases of life: birth, marriage, work, and death.
Birth
After giving birth, a woman traditionally recuperates for
up to a month by staying indoors and doing nothing more than
eating, resting, and sleeping. During this time, she may not
eat salty foods or anything cold such as ice cream or cold
drinks. Other kinds of foods that are considered to be "cooling"
are also off-limits, such as cabbage, bamboo shoots, oranges,
and many other fruits and vegetables. Instead, the recovering
mother is served foods that are high in protein and calories
such as eggs, rice, noodles, brown sugar, ginger, chicken,
fish, and pig kidneys. Two typical foods that are a must throughout
the postpartum month are ma-yu chi (chicken stewed
in sesame-oil and rice wine) and sheng-hua tang (a
soup concoction of peach kernels, ginger, herbs, and rice
wine).
Marriage
Traditionally, people avoided marriage to anyone having the
same surname; however, this has now changed. Today's brides
and grooms still follow the tradition of exchanging pa-tzu
(eight characters) with each other. These eight characters
indicate compatibility according to the year, month, day,
and time of birth. For the less strict, astrologers only analyze
the date and time of birth of the two young people to select
an auspicious day for their wedding. Most weddings consist
of large banquets held in restaurants. Guests give red envelopes
of cash as gifts. Photos are taken in traditional and Western
clothes, and many go overseas for their honeymoons.
Work
At the end of every lunar year, employers pay their respects to the Earth God and give a banquet for their employees. In years past, however, the sumptuous meal provided by the boss did not always please his subordinates, for their employment in the coming year could be decided during the meal. All year-end banquets have at least one dish containing a whole chicken, and if the boss turned the chicken's head to face an employee, that employee was fired! While pointing the chicken head today no longer carries that meaning, employers still hold the year-end banquet to show gratitude for employees' hard work throughout the year.
Employees are also given bonuses on such festivals as the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Lunar New Year. In many companies and shops, on the 2nd and 16th days of the lunar month, a table is set up and an offering of fruit, food, and incense is made to the Earth God. Finally, on the first auspicious day following the Lunar New Year break when businesses have re-opened, an offering is made to the Earth God, firecrackers are set off to dispel evil spirits, and employees who participate are given a token sum in a red envelope.
Death
Most people believe in the immortality of the soul, and thus
pay their respects not only to living elders, but also to
deceased ancestors. After a death occurs, families often hold
elaborate funeral rites--Taoist, Buddhist, or both. Surviving
family members show respect by abstaining from large meals
or celebrations for seven mourning periods, each lasting seven
days (a total of 49 days).
In the case of the death of a parent, grandparent, or great grandparent, anyone who planned to get married must do so within 100 days of the death or else wait an entire year. After the funeral period is over, family members continue to conduct ceremonial rites and pay respects to the deceased person's soul on the anniversary of that person's death, on Tomb-sweeping Day, and on other major festivals. Funerals may involve either cremation or burial. For some families, the bones of the dead are ritually removed, washed, and re-interred after about seven years.
