With such a long history of foreign rule, Taiwan has developed a rich culture, from traditions to fads.
Culture
Food and Drinks
Taiwan is renowned for it’s food, from bubble tea to beef noodle soup. Not only are they filled with great taste, they are also filled with rich history. Check it out here. If there’s any missing, let us know here
Lunar New Year Traditions in Taiwan (a.k.a. Chinese New Year)
Red envelopes. New Year’s Eve dinner. Dumplings. Lion Dancing. Red and gold. Why are these things relevant during the Lunar New Year? What other traditions are there? Lunar New Year is more than money in red envelopes or meeting distant relatives during the annual family get together. Just like how Christian faith has turned Christmas…
Read more Lunar New Year Traditions in Taiwan (a.k.a. Chinese New Year)
Ghost Festival
The seventh month of the lunar calendar marks what’s known as the “Ghost Month” in Taiwan. During this month, the gates of the underworld open and spirits are released with the freedom to visit their family, loved ones, or just roam around. The 15th of the month is also known as “Ghost Day” when the…
Moon Festival (Mid Autumn Festival)
Celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the mid autumn festival (中秋節) literally translates to mid autumn festival. It also sometime called the moon festival. The reason for this is that this day is suppose to mark a full moon. While the celebration of the full moon has been…
Double Ten Day
The Double Ten Day is celebrated in Taiwan as a national holiday. However, it may be one of the most hard-to-understand days to explain to anyone not extremely well-versed in Chinese history (yes CHINESE history.) It is also the one day that may provoke the most rage and debate. Hopefully you’ll understand more with this.…
Mazu
Surprisingly, one of the biggest deities in Taiwan does not fall within the Buddhist or Taoist religion. Instead, Mazu (or Matsu) is a lady turned legend turned folklore. In Taiwan, there are over 3000 temples dedicated to Mazu for how special she was to the land and people. Starting in a fishing town in southern…
Dragon Boat Festival
As the spring season draws to a close and as the dog days of summer approach, the Taiwanese get ready for the Dragon Boat Festival—one of the most popular annual festivals celebrated across East Asia, from China to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Okinawa. The Korean Dano festival, Vietnam’s Tết Đoan Ngọ and Japan’s Kodomo no Hi all have historical links to the…
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