Mid-Autumn Festival is the second biggest cultural holiday of the year in Taiwan. This year was a bit of a subdued occasion, as it fell on a Tuesday, and Monday was a work day. So the festivities were much less apparent this year. We missed seeing the ubiquitous family barbecues popping up in front yards everywhere. So we called our dear friends on Monday and asked if they were up for a visit and a barbecue on Tuesday. They said "Of course!", and we packed the car and headed for the Yushan National Park region the next morning.
These friends also happen to be our source of Eco-Farmed High Mountain Oolong Tea for the last five years or so. Our connection has much deeper roots than that, however. They are also the owners of our favorite mountain hot spring in Dong Pu, where we have been making mountain getaways for 30 years now! (Albeit only once or twice a year, as it used to be a 3-4 hour motorcycle ride). The guy on the far right (above) built the hot spring campground himself. He eventually gave the hot spring business to his younger brother to manage, and focused on managing the family farm. He and his wife (3rd from left above, left below) transitioned his father's tea farm to become certified organic about ten years ago.
We have now become a part of this small community of close friends who often get together for tea, barbecue, and recently — archery! Archery competitions are held island-wide among the indigenous community, and it appears to be the most contemporary platform for the indigenous tribes to interact. We feel so grateful for this community with whom we have so much in common. We just naturally became lifetime friends (even if it took decades before the friendship manifest!).
Mid-Autumn Festival has become our favorite holiday here in Taiwan. We appreciate it for its casual custom of family and friends gathering to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Traditionally, picnics and moon viewing activities were how this holiday was celebrated. In recent decades, barbecue parties have become the most prominent activity. And this modern custom goes back to a TV ad in 1989 that advertised a barbecue sauce! The 1980's was also the first economic boom in Taiwan, and probably was the beginning of an era where the working class could afford such a lavish celebration. Just for trivia fun, here's the commercial that really changed this cultural tradition!
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