Hakka culture is celebrated each year in Taiwan with 12 festivals organized by the Council for Hakka Affairs. The Hakka are a Han Chinese ethnic group that speak the Hakka language, make up about one-fifth of Taiwan’s population and are renowned for their communal spirit, diligence and frugality. The ancestors of today’s Hakka in Taiwan emigrated from Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces in mainland China. Once on the island, many of the immigrants chose hilly, mountainous areas to create a distinctive new Hakka identity seasoned by the influences of local indigenous peoples and other immigrant groups. The following selection of photos highlights eight of the 12 festivals that the Hakka participate in as a means of retaining and honoring their heritage.
During the Straw Dragon Festival in Sanyi, Miaoli County, northern Taiwan, Hakka residents perform a dragon dance with a dragon made from dried rice stalks and pieces of bamboo garnished with sticks of incense. (Photo by Yeh Ming-yuan)
Children in deer costumes parade in Guoxing Township in Nantou County, central Taiwan. Guoxing has held the Deer Deity Festival each year since 2002 to express appreciation to Shennong, an agricultural deity. In the early days, most Hakka people subsisted on the produce of their fields, and they were therefore devout worshippers of Shennong. Guoxing is home to Taiwan’s biggest preserve for sambar, a type of deer. (Photo by Hao Chen-tai)
This year marks the 10th annual installment of the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival, which runs until mid-May in 11 counties and cities scattered across northern, central and southern Taiwan. The festival pairs the natural beauty of the tung blossoms with an opportunity to appreciate the essence of Hakka culture. (Photo by Chang Su-ching)
A festival called Attacking the City Walls is held alongside the Lantern Festival each year in Liudui, Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. Attacking the City Walls began as a military exercise, but in more recent times has become a celebration highlighting the solidarity shared by the Hakka villagers of Liudui. (Photo by Liao Tai-chi)
The Hakka residents of Fuyuan Village in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan, hold a ceremony each year to mark the birthday of the city deity that features performances by percussion troupes from around the island. (Photo by Liao Tai-chi)
The Yimin Cultural Festival, held in Xinpu, Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, honors heroes of old who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the whole community. The Xinpu Yimin Temple, pictured here, is sacred to Taiwan’s Hakka people and attracts thousands of devotees. (Photo by Hao Chen-tai)