It's September, autumn is coming and it's the perfect time for outdoor activities. A superb lineup of large-scale Taipei events is being rolled out starting at the end of September, including the Taipei Confucius Temple Culture Festival (臺北孔廟文化季), Beitou Hot Spring Museum Centennial Celebration (北投溫泉博物館百年慶), Taipei Season of Hot Spring (臺北溫泉季), Dream Community Dream Carnival (奇幻農村夢想嘉年華), and Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival (臺北客家義民嘉年華). They highlight the culture, sightseeing, creativity, and folk customs in Taipei. Don't miss out on all the fun!
Taipei Confucius Temple Culture Festival – A Fascinating exploration of Confucian Culture
Each year on September 29th the Confucius Ceremony (釋奠典禮) is held at the Taipei Confucius Temple to commemorate the Great Sage on his birthday. Many local and foreign tourists attend, as do Confucianism research groups. As always, this year's ceremony will take place from 6 to 7 am.
The Confucius Ceremony is a complete and faithful display of the ancient national-grade Three Consecrations (三獻) rites. The traditional Eight Tones Musical Instruments (八音樂器) are used to play the elegant Dacheng Suite (大成樂章) from the Song Dynasty (宋朝) presented in rites to honor Confucius, and the Yayue Yi Dance (雅樂佾舞), which had its birth in palace performances of the Ming Dynasty (明代), is also presented. The ceremony features 37 distinct rites, including Opening the Gates (啟扉), Welcoming the Spirit (迎神), Presenting the Sacrificial Feast (進饌), Offering Incense (上香), Three Offerings (三獻禮), and Escorting the Spirit (送神). After the ceremony, Taipei Mayor Hau Lungbin (臺北市市長郝龍斌) will pass out Wisdom Cakes (智慧糕) and event souvenirs to attendees.
In recent years the Taipei Confucius Temple has expanded the event into the Taipei Confucius Temple Culture Festival with the addition of a range of activities. The "Storytelling under the Confucius Temple Trees" (孔廟樹下講古) is slated in October and November, in which culture and history experts talk about the story of Confucius and of the temple itself. For details on festival activities, visit the official Taipei Confucius Temple website. After an enlightening temple tour, be sure to explore other attractions in the surrounding Dalongtong area, notably Baoan Temple (保安宮), Linsheng Garden (鄰聖苑), and Dalong St. Night Market (大龍夜市).
2013 Dream Carnival – A Boldly Creative and Colorful Art Parade
The Dream Community Culture and Education Development Foundation (夢想社區文教發展基金會) has been staging the Dream Carnival (夢想嘉年華) since 2002. On a scale with well-known overseas carnivals, its wonderful and whimsical grand street-art parade has become a highlight of autumn in Taipei. The parade this year is on October 19th, and will set out from Liberty Square at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂自由廣場). In addition to the many exuberant local troupes, there will also be artists and troupes from Nice, New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Asakusa, Bali, and other faraway places. You're also warmly invited to sign up your own team to join in the raucous fun.
The Dream Community Culture and Education Development Foundation has long been involved in community development, and seeks to blend the art of festivities, fun and play, creativity, courage, and warm-hearted enthusiasm into everyday life. The Foundation's goal is to instill hope and expectations of ever better days into the residents, and to encourage one and all to follow their dreams. The foundation plants the seeds of art in Taiwan's rural villages and urban communities, and travels the world to learn from the distinctive carnival celebrations in other countries, bringing their unique elements back home to stimulate local creativity.
The carnival festivities are divided into two sections, unfolding with a parade from 2 to 6 pm, which, after leaving Liberty Square, will proceed along Zhongshan South Road (中山南路) to the Jingfu Gate (景福門) traffic circle, along Sec. 1 of Ren'ai Road (仁愛路一段) to Linsen South Road (林森南路), and back along Ren'ai to Ketagalan Boulevard (凱達格蘭大道). An evening celebration party will then be held on the boulevard starting at 6 pm. Want to show the world just what makes you so unique? Come on out and dive into the Dream Carnival creative whirlwind!
Beitou Hot Spring Museum Centennial Celebration – A Taste of Old Beitou
This year is the centennial of Beitou Park and the Beitou Hot Spring Museum or more precisely, the Beitou Public Baths (北投溫泉公共浴場), where the museum is today housed. The Taipei City Government is staging the Beitou Hot Spring Museum Centennial Celebration, making this year's Taipei Season of Hot Spring (2013臺北溫泉季) bigger than ever.
The centennial celebration, which has already started, includes the "Century of Springs" (百年泉湧) special exhibit at the museum, in which displays and interactive installations take visitors back to the Japanese era via Japanese documentary-film footage. Visitors may also listen to lyrical Beitou ballads and learn about the changes seen over the museum building's history, as well as the culture of Beitou hot spring. Take in the 2013 Taiwan Moon Lute Folk Music Festival (2013臺灣月琴民謠祭) in September, which will feature painted yueqin (月琴; also known as moon lute); nearly a hundred decoratively painted moon lutes will grace the hot spring museum as installation art, there will be moon-lute lectures and music concerts on weekends, and "Tradition, Incense, Sentiment between Generations" (傳承、香火、世代情) Taiwan folk-ballad parties on the lawn outside the hot spring museum on September 28th and 29th. This grand music-party blast will feature such well-known musicians as Chen Mingchang (陳明章), Lin Shengxiang (林生祥), and Li Binghui (李炳輝).
The museum centennial activities reach their peak from the middle of October through November. "Voices of the People down Beitou Alleys" (北投巷弄傳唱人聲) gatherings are being held on October 5th and 12th, featuring local Beitou chorus and nakashi (那卡西) talent singing Beitou ballads. November 4th boasts "Elegance Eternal: Beitou Arts One Hundred" (風華永現 • 北投藝百), a parade carnival of decorated floats. Be in Beitou this autumn, and be part of something special.
2013 Taipei Season of Hot Spring – A Feast of Song in Beitou
Beitou, which enjoys three stars in the Michelin Green Guide Taiwan tourist guidebook, is blessed with many ecological and cultural resources. The area was originally inhabited by members of the plains-dwelling Ketagalan tribe (凱達格蘭族), who called the area "Patauw," meaning witch or sorceress – and origin of the Chinese "Beitou." You'll thus see many witch figures at Taipei Season of Hot Spring events, such as the "Witches Singing Concert" (女巫歡唱會), and you can also buy attractive witch-theme merchandise.
This year's activities are spread over four days, from October 11th to 14th. There will be a "Love Beitou" (愛心北投) cultural-creative market with nostalgic kid-themed merchandise, "Beitou Elegance" (北投風華) photography exhibit, Beitou District Office (北投區公所) cultural-creative merchandise DIY sessions, and more. The area's distinctive nakashi culture will be integrated into the various festival activities, and there will be a song-on-demand experience during the Witches Singing Concert on the opening day. Members of the public can request whichever songs they desire – Japanese enka (ballads), old Taipei songs, Mandarin love songs, whatever they like – and belt them out to their heart's content.
A highlight of the October 12th parade will be the presence of a grand clockwork mechanism and deity palanquin associated with Japan's famed Dogo Onsen hot-spring resort. On the evening of October 13th the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera (明華園歌仔戲) troupe will give an outdoor performance, and on the evening of October 14th the Beitou Outdoor Cinema will replicate scenes of old-time Beitou where the public would gather out of doors to watch plays and films.
"Beitou Hot Spring Tour Shuttles" (溫泉專車遊北投) will ply the district on October 12th and 13th, bringing visitors to the Ketagalan Culture Center (凱達格蘭文化館), Beitou Hot Spring Museum, Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch (臺北市立圖書館北投分館), Beitou Public Assembly Hall (北投公民會館), Plum Garden (梅庭), Thermal Valley (地熱谷), and other well-known Beitou attractions, making moving around the area easy and comfortable.
Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival – A Grand Folk Event
"Yimin Ye" (義民爺), often translated as "Lords of the Righteous," are Qing Dynasty (清朝) Hakka ancestors who sacrificed their lives defending Hakka settlements from bandits and other enemies. Over time they came to be revered and worshiped by the Hakka community, and the annual Yimin Festival (義民爺祭典), held in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, has become a key celebration for the Taiwan Hakka ethnic group. This will be the 26th year for the Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival (臺北客家義民嘉年華), the core concept of which being "Holy Incense Procession - Bless and Protect the People" (聖香遶境、福祐萬民). The festival ties together the Hakka communities of the greater Taipei area, Hsinchu County (新竹縣), Miaoli County (苗栗縣) and other counties in Taiwan, and the Lords of the Righteous from 26 Yimin Temples around Taiwan are being invited to the grand rites and festivities.
On October 18th at 3:30 pm, after the 26 Lords of the Righteous icons from around Taiwan have arrived in Taipei, a procession will proceed from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to Yongkang Street. This will be followed by "Taipei Hakka Night" (臺北客家之夜), featuring unique performances representative of Taipei City welcoming the members from all Hakka communities – especially Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Pingtung County (屏東縣) - to come to celebrate with citizens of Taipei, regaling them with a masterly parade-formation competition. The highlight of the festival is "greeting the spirits procession" (迎神遶境) on October 19th, which will depart from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall at 8:30 am and move along Sec. 1 of Roosevelt Road (羅斯福路一段), Nanhai Road (南海路), Nanchang Road (南昌路), Sec. 3 of Roosevelt Road (羅斯福路三段), Xinhai Road (辛亥路), and Sec. 3 of Tingzhou Road (汀州路三段), winding up at Taipei City Hakka Cultural Park (臺北市客家文化主題公園).
Incense burner tables will be set up along the way for devotees to make offerings, and troupes from the various Yimin temples will put on lively traditional temple-fair zhentou (陣頭) or "battle-array formation" performances. The grand Settling of the Positive Energies of the Righteous Lords (義民爺安座) ceremony will be carried out at the Hakka cultural park. On October 20th at 8 am is the unusual Carrying-Pole Rice Presentation to the Gods (挑擔奉飯). This custom, over a century old, arose from the practice of Hakka women carrying supplies to the front lines when Hakka braves were away defending the community. It has become a highlight in the Yimin Festival. The poles of the hauling teams are loaded down with rich offerings of food, fruit, flowers, and other items. Both poles and carriers are decked in gorgeously resplendent Hakka-theme decorations. This year's army of carrying-pole teams is looking to be the largest ever.
The carrying-pole teams will go from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall all the way to the Taipei City Hakka Cultural Park, and a parade will be staged at the same time. The combined activities will feature six creative teams that will showcase the following themes: "Hundred Foot Poles" (百尺竿頭) or Hakka carrying poles; "Hundred Flowers in Bloom" (百花齊放) or Hakka oil-paper umbrellas; "Hundred Drum Crescendo" (百鼓齊鳴) or Hakka flower drums (客家花鼓); "A Hundred Years of Elegance" (百年風華) or Hakka floral fabrics; "A Hundred Expressions, a Thousand Poses" (百態千姿) or Hakka tea-picking dance; and "A Hundred Banners Fluttering" (百幡飄揚) or Hakka command flags. The creative clothing, physical movement and language you'll witness are intrinsic elements that make the Hakka unique.
At 11 am that same morning a solemn ceremony will be staged at the Hakka cultural park in which thanks is given to the Yimin for their bravery and sacrifice in defending their brethren, expressing the spirit of reverence with which the Hakka hold their ancestors. On October 21st at 9 am will be the grand Sending Off of the Deities (送神大典) ceremony for the visiting gods, in which time-honored rituals are exactly followed and blessing prayers expressing gratitude to the deities are read aloud, bringing the Yimin Festival to a fulfilling conclusion.
1. Each year the Confucius Ceremony is held at Taipei Confucius Temple to commemorate the Great Sage on his birthday, attracting many locals and foreigners.
2. The Confucius Ceremony is a complete and faithful display of the ancient national-grade Three Consecrations rites.
3. After the Confucius Ceremony Taipei Mayor Hau Lungbin right cuts and passes out Wisdom Cakes to attendees.
4-6. The Dream Carnival is a highlight of the Taipei fall season; on a scale with well-known overseas carnivals, and artist troupes from overseas participate.
7. The Beitou Hot Spring Museum will have yueqin discussion and music sessions in September.
8. The Beitou Hot Spring Museum's centennial celebration includes the Century of Springs special exhibit.
9. "Voices of the People Down Beitou Alleys" celebrate the Beitou ballad-singing tradition.
10-12. The busy and diverse Beitou Hot Spring Season program includes a Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera performance, a street parade, and the Love Beitou cultural-creative market.
13. A Beitou Hot Spring Season highlight will be the inclusion of a grand clockwork mechanism and deity palanquin from Japan.
14. The Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival's "greeting the spirits procession."
15. Dancing dragon performance at the main ceremony.
16. Traditional temple-fair zhentou or "battle-array formation" troupes from Yimin temples around the country will participate.
17. The Carrying-Pole Rice Presentation to the Gods, honoring the Righteous Lords, is a festival highlight.
2013 Taipei Confucius Temple Culture Festival 2013臺北孔廟文化季
Time: 9/28, 06:00~ 07:00
Venue: Taipei Confucius Temple (臺北市孔廟)
Tel: (02)2592-3934
Website: www.ct.taipei.gov.tw
Confucius Ceremony
(advance ticket request required)
Venue Entry:
9/28, 05:30~06:00 (ticket required for entry, nofurther admission once ceremony underway)
Individual Ticket Request:
9/12~ 9/15 , 09:00~12:00 and 14:00~17:00, limit of 400 tickets (2 tickets per person)
Ticket Request on Day of Ceremony:
9/28, 05:30~06:00, at temple's Hong Gate office, 100 tickets available
2013 Dream Community Dream Carnival
2013奇幻農村夢想嘉年華
Time: 10/19
Venue: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall→Ketagalan Blvd. (中正紀念堂→凱達格蘭大道)
Tel: (02)2695-9393
Website: dreamcommunity.org.tw
Beitou Hot Spring Museum Centennial Celebration 北投溫泉博物館百年慶
Time: Until 11/4
Venue: 2 Zhongshan Rd. (中山路2號)
Tel: (02)2893-9981
Website: beitoumuseum.taipei.gov.tw
2013 Taipei Season of Hot Spring
2013臺北溫泉季
Time: 10/11~10/14
Venue: MRT Xinbeitou Station Plaza, Qixing Park across road on station's south side (新北投捷運站廣場及南側道路七星公園)
Tel: (02)2895-5418
Website: www.taipeisprings.org.tw
2013 Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival
2013臺北客家義民嘉年華
Time: 10/18~10/21
Venue: Hakka Cultural Park, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (客家文化主題公園、中正紀念堂)
Tel: (02)2702-6141
Website: www.thcp.org.tw
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