The 2020 National Hakka Day has returned to Erlin Township in Changhua County on Feb. 9, with Changhua Magistrate Wang Huei-mei (王惠美) and Erlin Town Mayor Tsai Shih-chieh (蔡詩傑) making rice food offerings to the goddess Nuwa (女媧) to demonstrate the Hakka people’s respect for earth and nature.

The event, unveiled in a Erlin-based winery, was attended by Magistrate Wang, Mayor Tsai, and President Chang Jung-lin (張榮林) of the Changhua County Hakka Association.

Changhua County is home to ethnic groups of Minnan, Hakka, and Indigenous peoples, all of whom respect each other and carry forward their own cultures, said Magistrate Wang at the opening ceremony .

The County has hosted the National Hakka Day every year since 2011, when the Hakka Affairs Council designated the 20th day of the first lunar month, known as “Sky Mending Day” in Hakka culture, the National Hakka Day in Taiwan.

It is significant for Changhua to host the event, said Wang. The origin of the Hakka community in Changhua can be traced back to the migration of the Hoklo to Taiwan during the Ming and Qing dynasties and the Hakka people who moved to Changhua from Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli during the Japanese rule period. Having settled in Erlin - as well as  Zhutang and Pitou townships, the migrants have found Changhua their permanent home, she explained.

Many of the industries in Erlin were developed by the Hakka people, said Mayor Tsai. For example, about half of the wineries in this town are run by Hakkas. He hopes that the public could experience Hakka food and the beauty of Hakka culture through participating in the celebratory event.

Legend has is that “Sky Mending Day” is celebrated by Hakkas to pay tribute to Nuwa, a goddess of Chinese mythology who mended a hole in the sky created by the god of water and the god of fire during their competition and saved humanity from death. On the day, the Hakka people will take the day off, singing mountain songs and making offerings that involve rice dishes to pay homage to the goddess Nuwa.

Today, “Sky Mending Day” has developed into a unique Hakka festival which symbolizes their reverence for earth and nature as well as the importance of establishing harmony with the natural environment.