Su-ao, an urban township in northern Taiwan, is well known for its seafood restaurants and cold springs. This weekend, the Hakka community there hopes to revive an old tradition.
Firecrackers are blasted off at the start of a Hakka cultural festival because in the old days, they were thought to ward off wild animals and bad luck. This year, the Su-ao town is reviving the old tradition by holding an event offering lots of delicious local food, traditional crafts and arts.
To add color and fun to the festival, Su-ao Township Mayor Lee Ming-che will be dressing up as a groom wearing traditional wedding wear. His wife will be putting on a bride’s traditional wedding costume as well. Following old customs, she will be carried on a wooden sedan to meet the groom.
The mayor and his wife will then demonstrate how to make traditional Hakka vegetable steamed buns. Visitors to the festival are bound to enjoy other traditional foods and the celebration of Hakka culture.