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.
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