Taiwanese men and women held incense sticks and murmured prayers to the god of matchmaking and marriage on Valentine’s Day, anxious to find a partner as government data showed a sharp drop in the nation’s matrimony.
Following decades of economic growth, more Taiwanese appear to be shunning or putting off marriage, with many preferring to pursue freewheeling lifestyles over family duties — in stark contrast to the Chinese tradition of marrying young.
Government figures show only 14.4 percent of Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 29 were married in 2008, down from 23 percent in 2000.
Yet there are still those who yearn for wedlock while finding it hard to meet the right person.
The Xiahai Chenghuang Temple (霞海城隍廟) in Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕) attracted an unusually large crowd on Sunday as Valentine’s Day coincided with the first day of the Lunar New Year, a time Taiwanese rush to temples to pray for peace and prosperity.
Amid the festive mood, many in the crowd at the temple — one of dozens in Taiwan that worship the legendary matchmaker known as the Yue Xia Lao Ren (月下老人) literally means “Old Man Under the Moon,” had just one thing on their minds: Marriage.
After saying his prayers, Kent Chen said he has been too busy with work to learn the art of courtship.
“I have remained single for too long so I came to beg for a good woman and good marriage,” the 32-year-old businessman said.
Many of the women were accompanied by anxious-looking mothers.
They knelt down before the statue of the deity and listened attentively as a temple worker taught them how to say their prayers.
“Tell him the specific type of man you would want to meet and your conditions for your fiance,” the worker said.
“Bring cookies to thank him if your wish is granted,” the worker said.
Chinese legend says the Yue Xia Lao Ren holds “the Book of Fate” in his hand and ties a red strand to the feet of a man and a woman who are bound by fate to tie the knot.
After selecting a red strand from a large incense burner, Kuo Mei-lan, a 26-year-old graduate student, said she prayed to the deity for a man who would respect her career and share housework if they marry.
“Many men ran away after they learned I was about to get a doctorate degree in mathematics,” she said. “Most men fear smarter and better-educated women would be too haughty to get along with.”
Public surveys in recent years consistently show that Taiwanese men have stayed single for fear they cannot support the family financially, while women prefer not to be bound by family duties unless they meet the right man.
Prevailing individualism and improved living standards have also led to later marriages, along with urbanization.
In Taipei, on average women got married at the age of 30.5 and men at 33.2 last year.
The national averages were 28 for women and 30.5 for men.
Xiahai Chenghuang Temple official Titan Wu said many young men and women are too occupied with work to find the right partners, and they cannot rely on the deity.
“The Matchmaker would help, but people should also make an effort to look for the right partners and then learn to better accept their strengths as well as weaknesses,” Wu said.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS