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Updated Saturday, December 24, 2011 2:32 pm TWN, By Lin Yuting, The China Post



	In Tungshih (東勢), the tradition of making rice cakes for newborns is preserved in the form of a competition held during the annual Lantern Festival. (File Photo) More Photos (5)

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[Truly Hakka] Enliven the season with Hakka celebrations

As winter deepens and the renewal of spring waits around the corner, a few Hakka festivals are coming up to offer everyone good times and cultural insights; they are introduced below in chronological order:

DECEMBER

Harvest Opera (收冬戲)

To revive the tradition of performing Hakka opera outdoors in front of temples, the Hakka Council annually selects outstanding theater troupes to go on a “Harvest Opera” tour around Taiwan. Hakka or not, you will be able to understand the performances because they are subtitled.

JANUARY

The Kung-kuan Hakka Pug Coi Festival

(公館客家福菜文化節)

Pug coi (福菜) is the most representative variety among Hakka preserved vegetables. Subjecting fresh mustard greens (芥菜) to different levels of pickling, sun-drying and fermentation produces various delicacies. Pairing pug coi with meat in different ways produces several classic dishes for New Year's Eve dinners, conferring on pug coi the symbolic appellation of being the “long-year greens (長年菜),” evoking an abundant harvest and a sumptuous family meal. The Kung-kuan Township (公館鄉) in Miaoli County (苗栗縣) boasts a vast plantation of succulent and fragrant mustard greens; it is also the hub of mustard-green processing in Taiwan where generations of expertise have been inherited. “The Kung-kuan Hakka Pug Coi Festival” allows the general public to experience the culture of Hakka preserved foods in all aspects of their production.

FEBRUARY

Bombing the Dragon (火旁龍) in Miaoli (苗栗)

In “Bombing the dragon,” (火旁龍) the dragon — a serpent-shaped, supple construction propped on poles — is literally attacked with explosives along with the dancers who manipulate the dragon. It is now an annual festive highlight in Miaoli.

First, prior to the Lantern Festival, the dragon is made from a bamboo scaffold, overlaid with colored paper, and painted for additional decoration. Second, in a symbolic initiation ritual, the dragon's eyes are painted on, signifying the awakening of its spirit.

Third, the dragon goes from household to household to bring good luck, and is followed by enthusiastic onlookers. Fourth, spectators start throwing firecrackers at the procession to scare evil spirits away. One dancer props up the dragon's head while others prop up its body. Yet one more props up a fiery ball for the dragon to chase.

Lastly, after the dragon is blown to smithereens — one hopes the dancers and spectators have all remained safe and sound — the dragon is carried back to the Land Deity Shrine where its eyes were first “opened.” The dragon is cremated there to fulfill its return to the spiritual realm.

“Bombing the dragon,” which originated on mainland China and was introduced to Taiwan in recent years, is doubtlessly a dangerous but exiting event that excites the crowd.

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