Kaohsiung's Siaolin Village Revival Night Festival Celebrates Siraya Culture

Xiaolin Village in Kaohsiung City's Jiasian District is set to welcome its annual Taivuan Night Festival on the evening of the 24th. This traditional ceremony, deeply significant in terms of history and cultural cohesion, is once again being jointly prepared this year by community members from the three settlements of Xiaolin Village. Before the official commencement of the festival, villagers have already begun renovating the *Kuba*—the communal gathering house symbolizing their spiritual center—preparing with the most pious devotion to welcome the descent of the ancestral spirits known as *Taizu*. This is not only an annual religious ritual, but also an important occasion for the Taivuan people to showcase their profound cultural heritage and ethnic resilience to the outside world, drawing the attention of many citizens and scholars interested in Taiwan's indigenous cultures.

The Taivuan people were historically often categorized as part of the Pingpu (Plains Indigenous) groups. In recent years, through active advocacy and official recognition campaigns led by tribal members and various sectors of society, their distinct ethnic subjectivity has gradually been established. Following the major devastation of Typhoon Morakot, the residents of Xiaolin Village demonstrated remarkable vitality, using traditional culture as the cornerstone for psychological reconstruction and social cohesion. The Xiaolin Taivuan Night Festival has not only been designated as an intangible cultural asset of Kaohsiung City, but has also become a vital model for the preservation of Taiwan's indigenous cultural heritage. Each year's preparation process serves as an intergenerational cultural transmission, allowing the younger generation of villagers to deeply understand their ancestors' life philosophy and spiritual connotations through hands-on participation.

This year's night festival features a rich and diverse program. In addition to the core traditional sacrificial rituals, it includes the highly distinctive practices of "opening the *Hiang*" and singing and dancing the *Cena* (traditional circle dance). On the night of the festival, villagers and ritual specialists will pay respect to *Taizu* and pray for blessings through specific rituals and taboos. The subsequent *Cena* involves villagers holding hands, dancing around the ritual ground to ancient, low-pitched songs and melodies. This is not only part of the ritual, but also a vehicle for the Taivuan people's historical memory and emotional exchange. Through these intricate and sacred steps, villagers are able to engage in a profound spiritual dialogue with their ancestral spirits while demonstrating the Taivuan people's unique artistic and musical expressions to visitors.

To help the general public gain a more comprehensive understanding of the history and contemporary development of the Taivuan people, the organizers have specially planned peripheral activities this year, including a special cultural exhibition, a food market, and craft experiences, alongside the traditional rituals. The cultural exhibition tells the story of Xiaolin Village and the migration history of the Taivuan people through precious historical photographs, documents, and artifacts. The food market showcases local flavors, allowing tourists to experience the villagers' culinary culture through their taste buds, while the craft experiences give the public an opportunity to personally engage with traditional skills. These arrangements not only enrich the layers of the night festival, but also promote mainstream society's understanding and respect for indigenous culture through the integration of tourism and education.

From the perspective of cultural preservation, the continuous holding of the Xiaolin Taivuan Night Festival holds irreplaceable significance in shaping Taiwan's diverse culture. It proves that indigenous culture does not merely exist as historical textbooks or museum exhibits, but lives within the daily lives and spiritual practices of contemporary tribal members. Facing the impacts of modernization and the challenge of population outflow, the residents of Xiaolin Village have demonstrated a high degree of autonomy and cultural awareness, transforming traditional ceremonies into a platform for consolidating ethnic identity and engaging in external dialogue. The upcoming night festival is not only a religious event to welcome *Taizu*, but also an important testament where the Taivuan people declare to the world that their cultural vitality continues endlessly.

Source: Central News Agency