This year’s Minsyong Dashiyeh Festival in Chiayi County held last weekend added LGBTQ+ elements to foster a more inclusive celebration, including a “gender-friendly ritual hall” and drag-queen-themed heavenly offerings.
The three-day festival was held from Friday to yesterday in Chiayi County’s Mingsyong Township (民雄).
Celebrated from the 21st to the 23rd day of the seventh lunar month each year, it is considered among the most important Ghost Month festivals in Taiwan, alongside Keelung’s Mid-summer Ghost Festival, the Hengchun Ghost Grappling Competition in Pingtung County and the Toucheng Ghost Grappling Competition in Yilan County.
Photo courtesy of Gisneyland
The festival centers on Da Shi (大士), also known as the “ghost king,” believed to be a manifestation of the Guanyin bodhisattva, with a giant paper-mache statue of the deity enshrined in the main hall for worship.
Celebrants traditionally then chant sutras for three days to appease wandering souls, known as “good brothers” (好兄弟).
This year, the Chiayi County LGBTQ+ Community Health Service Center wanted to celebrate not only the “good brothers,” but make offerings to the souls of all men, women and nonbinary people, allowing them to reside in a “gender-friendly hall,” as opposed to the traditional gender-segregated spaces.
Photo courtesy of Gisneyland
Gisneyland, a nongovernmental organization set up by the Chiayi County Health Bureau, organized a booth at the festival with rainbow-printed lotus flower origami, food offerings arranged into the rainbow Pride flag and a drag queen stage to take the place of a traditional paper effigy stage.
Traditional paper offerings burned to give to those in the afterlife are usually modeled into cars, money or food.
This year, offerings at a dedicated “drag queen show” stall set up by drag artist Deng Bai-bai (鄧百百), who also performed at the event, were fashioned as binders, wigs, perfumes and high heels, so that those who could not express themselves freely in their lifetime would be able to do so in the afterlife.
Photo courtesy of Gisneyland
There were also rainbow-themed snacks, gender-neutral toys and family-themed board games available for children who had passed away.
The festival originally aimed to resolve violent disputes and promote harmony, Gisneyland said, adding that the organization hopes more people would recognize diverse communities and religious folk culture could be more inclusive.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS