Once commonly used in farming, water buffaloes have been replaced by cultivators. In Yilan County, water buffaloes have now become rare.
Water buffaloes used to play an indispensable role in agricultural societies, and were sometimes even considered as family members. Many people in the older generation would refuse to eat beef throughout their entire life to show their gratitude toward the buffaloes. However, as time changes, it is now increasingly rare to see a buffalo working in the fields. A farmer surnamed Chien in Yilan County’s Wujie Township said the springtime practice of farming with buffaloes has been abandoned as they have been replaced by cultivators. If someone raises a buffalo today, it is for purposes other than farming, such as tourism or religious reasons.
Historian Chen Jung-kai says that the traditional ritual of whipping a buffalo effigy in spring, while symbolic, also carries an important educational message. It reminds people to stop fooling around and put their minds to school and work. The water buffalo also represents diligence and perseverance, which reflect the Taiwanese spirit of hard work.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Liberty Times
資料照,記者江志雄攝
While most temples use paper buffaloes, which are burnt at the end of the ritual, the Sihjie Fude temple in Wujie Township has designed a wooden buffalo, which is now on permanent display at the temple for those who want to learn about local culture.(Liberty Times, translated by Yu-an Tu)
從前耕田的水牛被耕耘機取代,現於宜蘭縣已寥寥無幾。
水牛在農村社會不可或缺,甚至被視為家族一份子。許多老一輩都會表達感念,終身不吃牛肉。然而,隨著時代變遷,水牛犁田畫面愈來愈少見;五結鄉簡姓代耕業者說,縣內春耕均改以耕耘機代勞,水牛已退出歷史舞台,如果有人飼養,也是作為觀光或宗教等其他用途。
文史工作者陳榮楷認為,傳統鞭春牛儀式雖是象徵意義,但具有教化作用,提醒人們收起玩心,專注於課業及工作上,水牛更代表勤奮、苦幹精神,反映出台灣人的堅毅性格。
一般廟宇的春牛用紙做成,祭典結束後焚化。五結鄉四結福德廟設計木製春牛,在廟內常態性展出,作為鄉土文化教材。
(自由時報記者江志雄)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into