Local customs in Taiwan Province

In the Lantern Festival, the most famous thing in Yanshui Town of Tainan is to set off "bee cannons", that is, firecrackers made of tens of thousands of cupolas. The cores of each cupolas are connected together, and one cannon is lit, and ten thousand cannons are ringing, sparking, and the sound and light work together, which is deafening and spectacular. "Bee Cannon" has become a tourist attraction program in Taiwan Province.

The sky lantern is lit at the lower part of a paper-paste lamp-shaped sphere, and it is sent to the night sky by using the principle of hot air rising. Because it is shaped like a Kongming hat, it is also called "Kongming Lantern". According to legend, it has a history of more than 2 years in Taiwan Province. One of its early important functions was to report peace signals to each other, and now it has become an activity of entertainment and blessing.

The custom of "begging for turtles" at the Lantern Festival in Penghu is interesting and mysterious. Every year when the Lantern Festival arrives, various kinds of "tortoises" are placed on the sacrificial tables of temples in Penghu, including "fragrant tortoises" molded with sugar and glutinous rice flour to pray for peace. A "noodle turtle" made of thread and noodles with the meaning of "longevity"; There are "cake turtles" made of raw materials such as flour and eggs; Useful "golden turtles" made of gold. People came to worship one after another. "Begging for a turtle", that is, after obtaining the tacit approval of the gods through praying for longevity, the "Begging for a turtle" people reported to the temple deacons, inserted incense, and claimed the "turtle" they begged for, in order to seek the blessing and gift of the gods.

The wedding and funeral customs in Taiwan Province are similar to those in mainland China. Today, many traditional customs are still maintained in Taiwan Province, especially in rural areas. Not getting married with the same surname is still popular in Taiwan Province, and three surnames, Zhou, Su, Lian, Chen, Hu, Yao, Xu, She and Tu, and two surnames, Xiao, Ye, Xu and Ke, are considered to belong to the same ancestor and do not marry each other. Although the wedding ceremony has changed and the ways are gradually diversified, it still pays more attention to the traditional wedding in China. Folk funeral customs are complicated and full of superstition, and there is a set of traditional practices from dying, mourning, burial, mourning to funeral and burial. Up to now, burial is still popular among the people in Taiwan Province, and the cemetery is chosen to emphasize geomantic omen. There is also the custom of "picking up bones" among the people in Taiwan Province, which is commonly known as "picking up feng shui" or "second burial". That is, the first funeral is relatively simple, and the tombstone is not formally erected. After five to seven years, the tomb will be opened on an auspicious day to pick up the remains and be formally buried again. In the southwest coast of Taiwan Province, "bone picking" is a specialized industry. Therefore, there is a saying in Taiwan Province that "nine burials and nine relocations will last for ten thousand years", that is, the more reburies, the better. However, nowadays, Taiwan Province's festive weddings and funerals are more popular with modern "float dancing".