The flying fish festival of Tao Tribe in Orchid Island.

The flying fish festival of Tao Tribe in Orchid Island.


There’s a sleeping beauty off the eastern coast of Taiwan in the Pacific. “Orchid Island” or “Lanyu” is how Taiwanese people call her. The beauty of Orchid Island lies in not only its enchanting and pollutionless sea, but the distinctive culture of the native aboriginal people- Tao tribe. Every year in March, Orchid Island begins to revive and spread out her most charming magic to all of the visitors who come to see her.


Tao Tribe is one of Taiwan’s fourteen aborigines. Because of the isolation of the location, Tao is the most primitive and well-preserved tribe among the aborigines. Most of the Tao people still live on fishing and farming nowadays. What’s more, the spirit of Tao tribe centers on the most important tradition- Flying Fish Festival, which is a beginning ceremony that opens up the flying fish season.
Each year in March, schools of flying fish would pass by the seashore of Orchid Island with the Kuroshio Current from Japan. As a result, all of the people in Tao tribe are busy preparing the Flying Fish Festival together, praying and dancing for a wonderful harvest and a peaceful year.


There are many taboos and rules for Tao tribe to fish; the ceremony shows their respects for Mother Nature. The ancient wisdom and love for nature are represented and saved by the everlasting culture of Tao tribe.


The link of the flying fish fetival in Orchid Island:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PupwB7bzbI&feature=related