Sports Day Photos

Sports Day

Now this is something we ought to do. We thought so when we were in Japan, and now we think so double over - or quintupple over, as Joplin has five schools, and each school does a sports day.

Here's the recipe:

1. Rehearse a class 'dance' for months.
2. Make class costumes (out of paper plates, streamers, colored garbage bags, etc.)
3. Practice racing, tug-of-war, etc.
4. Invite the whole town

On a given Saturday, arrange for bright fine weather, set up tents for the spectators, decorate the school, invite dignitaries to lend dignity to the event, and hold a Sports Day Festival.

Each class is a team, and marches in behind their class flag, during opening ceremonies. They stand and salute the flag, and sing the anthem, then listen to the requisite inspirational speeches (a little dull if you don't understand the language very well!) Then each class does a performance dance, enthusiastically aerobic, complete with song. In our five schools, the aboriginal children performed as well, a full dance and music with traditional costumes.

Then let the Games Begin!

Each grade runs races, relay races, balloon-between-the-belly races, hopping through the hula-hoop races, ball-between-your-backs races, parents chuff the beer and rice balls races, and many parent-and-child races.

It is such fun, a great community event, with a long lunch break where everyone eats lunch under the tents, and babies run around trying to compete with their speedy uncles. Kids and parents anticipate this day for months, and everyone does their best to get in shape.

This is one custom we really ought to adopt!!!

Chinese New Year Cleansing

Joplin says that they are not tiny explosives -- they are regular firecracker size - 1 to 2" long, and there are maybe 100 in a pack.

In any case, these firecrackers blessed every single house in town, several times. Groups of people from the temples came by, carrying a shrine on their shoulders, and exploding fireworks as they walked door to door. People stood there, being blessed, and then put a red envelope (with cash) in the collection basket. Then after the explosive-fest went to the next neighborhood, everyone got out on the street and swept up firecracker wrappers. There was a little bonfire on our street, and McKinley helped sweep up unexploded poppers into the flames where they went whoosh-POW!

By the time Chinese New Year was over, we felt really ready, really cleansed and prepared for a new year to begin. It was a strong, strange feeling.

Year of the Dog Lantern Festival

Worried that we missed the best of Chinese New Year, we made a 2 1/2 hour journey across the island to Kaosiung, to see the fireworks at the Love River Lantern Festival. We got there in time enough to get front-river spots to stand, then stood for an hour. At last the music started, and there was a gorgeous sound and light show, with colored fountains and fireworks. It lasted 15 minutes, which was perfect. We left in good time to get back home by midnight. The lanterns were under a tent, part of a State Fair sort of competition. Some were wonderfully inventive.

Human Sacrifice

Taitung has a unique cultural event. It is a purifying festival. Used to be that it was a way at getting back at criminals. Nowadays, it's a paid 'volunteer' position. Still, it tends to be tatooed gangsters, they say.

So, this fellow - has to be a man, is dressed in a red loin-wrap, and hoisted amid much celebration upon a shoulder-chair. Then it starts.

POW! PA! POW! PA! POW! PA! POW! PA! POW! PA! POW! PA!

Hundreds of packets of firewords are flung at the guy, who just has a little palm frond to protect his face. When he has been paraded around the circle for five minutes, enduring countless tiny burns, he comes down, and it is the next guy's turn.

I'm being glib, but truly watching this was a horror. It felt very much like we were participating in -- what, a mass stoning? Throwing Christians to the lions in Rome? It was an ancient, mass hysteria ritual that was humiliating to be a part of. True, the guy wasn't hurt more than a few burns, but the whole idea of making a spectacle out of fireworking someone is stomach churning.

Chinese New Year!!!!

Did anyone say fireworks?
We're not talking big flowers in the sky exploding oohs and ahs out of an audience, though there were a few of those.
We're talking pakcets of tiny explosives: 25 to a pack, with a zip-strip ignitor then blasts of sudden light and PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA POW PA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(One was a dud.)