The Sacrifice

Morning came way to early, well at least for Julia.  She had to be up and out of the house by six to meet up with her friends.  When I finally crawled out of bed, which was about eight she arrived minutes later followed by Lucy, Sarah, and Elysia all of which are exchange students.  We jumped on the bikes and went down the street to look at what had been prepared for the ceremony.  Each family purchases a pig and then decorates it, displaying it for the god as a food offering for wealth and good luck.

We took part in the Taiwan's prayers which are called bai-bai.  Just like in Thailand you hold three incense candles and put them in three different pots filled with ash.  The different pots are for the different gods.  

The five of us took the bikes and rode along beside the river.  It was so beautiful!  While we were down there a guy pulled a huge crab out and allowed us to take pictures with it.  Julia was a little freaked out.

While walking on the beach we came across hundreds of miniature crabs which quickly scrambled into their burrows.  It reminded me of yesterday with all the venders, except the crabs hide in little holes in the sand.  

A few hours later we went back to the temple to watch the traditional sacrifice ceremony.  During the ceremony a man talks to the Taiwanese god and lets him take over his body.  He walks around with his eyes closed visiting each of the pigs, chanting to them as an offering to the gods.  After he has done that he shows off his courage and bravery by using a sword and hitting himself in the back.  He has a helper who carries around a wooden paddle which is covered with yellow paper.  After the ceremony this paper, containing the mans blood, is given out.  The owner puts it in their wallet to bring them luck and fortune.  When the man is close to severely cutting himself his acquaintance steps in.  Most the time the man shoves the paddle off and continues to whack himself in the back.  Every time this festival is held, which is every seven years, he does this.

After Sarah, Lucie, and Elycia left, Julia and I helped pluck the remaining hairs off the pig.  As gross as this was it was kinda fun.  Once the plucking had been done Jackie Chan came and butchered the pig.  (Now we know what he is doing since he retired)  That evening all of rotary, friends, and family got together to have a feast.  The amount of food that was served had to be ten times the amount in Thailand but instead of whisky with your meal it is substituted with wine.  Karaoke was sung all throughout the evening, which should be illegal.  Julia, Angela (another exchange student), Lucas (who studied in America for five years), Hide (Julia's councillors son), and I all sat at a table together.  Combining the accents and the dreadful monotone music, conversation was very hard.  

Later on in the evening a girl named Stephonne joined our table.  She was super sweet and cute.  She thought that I had been here the same length of time that Julia had and was utterly shocked when she found out it was my first day.  Her response to that was "you mingle so good!"  I'm very sociable I explained.  (Apparently my talkativeness is paying off)  Julia asked for her facebook before she left and in her great excitement she said "I never thought you would ask!"