Shared festival customs in Fujian, Taiwan

Tomb Sweeping Day

People clean ancestors' graves, remove weeds, burn incense, offer sacrificial cakes, repaint inscriptions on tombstones and make spring rolls filled with chicken, egg, tofu, shrimp, peanuts, seaweed and mushrooms. Parents tell their children about the birthplaces of their ancestors in Fujian and their achievements in developing the island of Taiwan. Many Taiwan residents return to Fujian for tomb-sweeping, and those unable to go back perform ancestor worship by the sea. Clan members gather at ancestral temples for family rituals, including feasts and activities to strengthen family bonds.

Dragon Boat Festival

People eat glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. There are two main types: plain glutinous rice without fillings and meat ones filled with pork, mushrooms and dried shrimp. As the weather heats up around that time (in late May or early June) and mosquitoes become more abundant, people in both places hang mugwort on their doors to reduce insects. Dragon boat races are held in both Fujian and Taiwan.

Hungry Ghost Festival

Observed on the 15th day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, it involves appeasing spirits. Offerings, burning ghost money, setting up altars and lighting bamboo pole lamps are common practices. The tradition was brought to Taiwan by Fujian people, where the festival is even more elaborate due to the hardships and deaths faced by the early settlers, leading to a strong reverence for spirits. Those early settlers who died far from home in Taiwan are commemorated by the living who cared for each other like brothers in the early period, so the event is also known as remembering "Good Brothers" in Taiwan.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Families gather to admire the full moon, eat mooncakes and play dice games. The tradition of mooncake gambling in southern Fujian is also popular in Taiwan. This game originated about 300 years ago when soldiers, led by General Zheng Chenggong from Fujian to recover the land of Taiwan from Dutch occupation, yearned for their families during the festival. To boost morale, they organized mooncake gambling activities, emphasizing patriotism and victory. Additionally, taro, symbolizing familial bonds, is prepared in various dishes.

SOURCE: CHINA MUSEUM FOR FUJIAN-TAIWAN KINSHIP