Customs   

  and Culture

1. Festivals-----Handanyeh   Parade  The Handanyeh parade started in 1954, about 50 years ago. The biggest parade is at night on the 15th and 16th of January. All the temples, people and shops close early and join in it. People will prepare a small stove with fire and fire crackers to welcome Handanyeh, the Money God. The most exciting of activities in the Ywanhsiao Festival is to shell Handanyeh with fire crackers. Real people play the role of Handanyeh to accept shelling of the fire crackers. From 1999, Taitung City Government had used the Lantern Festival parade series of activities to sell tourism to other cities. It includes Handanyeh Ritual, Fancy Lantern Design Competition, Chia Chiang Ritual, dancing club shows and fire works. People are intense, joining in and filling over the active areas. It has some tourism from other cities to come and celebrate it. Besides showing locally, it is invited to give performances in other cities every year. It has also been chosen as one of the 12 biggest Lantern Festivals in the nation by the Tourism Affairs Bureau. Because of its bright colors and fascination, it has been reported on Discovery, Public TV of San Francisco, and has been invited to play in Fujian, China.

2. Aboriginal Culture
Although the most population is Han in Taitung City, most of the indigenous population in Taiwan is inhabited here, too. It has about 19,000. Most are Amis tribe, about 14,000. Second is Peinan tribe, about 4,000. The Paiwan tribe is about 1,000, with some Rukai tribe, Yamis tribe etc, not classified as social groups.
Culture of Amis tribe
They are a matriarchal society, and have a men’s age class organization. Every year in July, they celebrate the tribe’s Harvest Festival, including Misahahwai, Banennen, Migesi, Women Workshop’s, Bawusa, Sahemei and Bibibai etc, traditional ceremony. The tribe is a basis of regional lifestyles and is broadminded, who love to sing and exercise.
Culture of Peinan tribe
This tribe mostly lived in the Nanwang and Jhihben area. History books record that the Peinan king was the leader of the Nanwang tribe in ancient times. The tribes have different ceremonies in different seasons, such as the Women Weeding Ceremony, Thanksgiving Seaside Ceremony, Monkey Ceremony of the Young People, and Grand Hunting Ceremony. Cross- stitching and sculpture are their traditional handcrafts.
Culture of Paiwan tribe
The Paipushe snake is their protective god. It is an egalitarian society. Their pottery, glazed beads, and bronze hilts were considered as the “three treasures” of the Paiwan people. In addition to being heirlooms in the chief family, they were also presented in weddings. Specially, the pottery was an important present, by the legend that was the birth place of the first ancestors, and only the chief could own it. The main ceremonies are the Millet Harvest Festival, Hunting Ceremony, Headhunting Ceremony and Stab Ball Ceremony.
Culture of Rukai tribe
The Rukai people are distributed into the Shubayang tribe , also called “Sashuerhya”. They are a patriarchal society. The first son inherits all the property. The community has a very rigid class system consisting of the chief, nobility, warriors and commoner classes. The other indication was in the wearing of lilies. The lily marked the female’s innocence and male’s hunting skills. The Rukai people’s costume was mainly cross-stitched and had glazed beads. The main ceremonies are the Millets Harvest Festival and the Danan Village Harvest Festival.