Hello lovely ladies,
Are you all sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin. First off is of course my postcard for today. I have a postcard from Taiwan and some beautiful stamps:
The info on the card reads: Face Tattooing, national treasure. Atayal people believe that face tattoo is an ultimate glory.
Distributed on both sides of Taiwan’s central mountain range in northern Taiwan, as well as the mountainous areas of Yilan and Hualien, the Atayal Peoples constitute the second largest Indigenous group in Taiwan with a total population of about 90,000 people. Atayal communities are organized into four groups: Tribal organizations (dealing with leadership and property), sacrificial groups (preparing sacrifices and leading ritual proceedings), gaga (a system of ancestral teachings and enforcement of societal norms), and hunting teams.
“The most distinctive part of the Atayal culture are facial tattoos. While men’s tattoos symbolize adulthood and bravery, women’s tattoos symbolize skilled weaving,” says JunYu Lin (Atayal), a 33-year-old music teacher in Yilan. The Atayal Tribe uses ramie, a flowering plant in the nettle family, as raw material for weaving. These days, most people use wool to weave due to its convenience and color diversity, so the traditional use of ramie is gradually declining. “A girl who cannot weave and has no tattoos would likely not be able to find a husband in the Tribe,” explains Lin.
This artistic and purposeful custom began to vanish when the Japanese controlled Taiwan (1895-1945).
In 2008, a woman from the Atayal tribe in the east of Taiwan has had an elaborate tattoo ingrained on her face, marking the first time an Aboriginal woman in Taiwan has had her face tattooed in nearly a century.
The tattoo artist used modern tattooing techniques to put the pigments on the woman's face. The process took two hours. In old days, tattooing was done with needles, with ashes applied to the wounds, in a painful process.
The stamps are beautiful and feature coastlines:
, The bottom one is issued in 2022.
The postal website writes: The Tongxiao section of Provincial Highway No.61 (NT$6): With views of the Taiwan Strait on one side and of the mountains on the other, this section of highway offers glimpses of Provincial Highway No.1 and the bridges of the coastal rail line. It is western Taiwan’s most beautiful winding coastal road and offers gorgeous sunset views.
And the top one was issued in 2019.
Qixingtan (NT$6): Qixingtan is a beautiful crescent-shaped bay. The bay’s crystal blue waters make for rich and impressive natural scenery. The bay’s scenic area has foot trails, a pavilion along the shore, the Sunrise Building, the Star Watching Plaza, and other facilities that visitors can enjoy under the blue sky and by the blue waters
These stamps were issued to promote tourism.
The sender, Meri, has also decorated the back of the card:
As my phone is my go-to camera, I haven't many photos. On Sunday I went for a walk organized by the town hall.
Lots of people took pictures, so I can show you a few.
I like to walk with sticks.
It was a beautiful day, but at 2000m altitude, the morning was cool.
Here I am at the fountain (in my white jumper). It was getting warmer so I have taken my cardigan off.
It looks nice, doesn't it. Well, it was, and we took some home too.
Today was a lovely day again and the temperatures were around 23 degrees C, and I spent quite a bit of time sitting outside.
Now as today is the T Party, hosted by Elisabeth and Bluebeard, I will show you a drink:
When I was in Holland, I stayed with my cousin Margit for two nights. We visited a museum and then had lunch together. For my drink I chose a red/pink beer, called Kasteel. It is lager with cherries and it was delicious.
Our lunch was a sort of snack platter which we shared:
It looks nice, doesn't it. Well, it was, and we took some home too.
That is it from me today.
Wishing you all a happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca
12 comments:
The face tattooing is fascinating. It's interesting how different groups define beautiful bodies. and it doesn't surprise me that the tattooing went down when the Japanese controlled the area because in Japan tattoos are not acceptable. When I visited some of us wanted to use the communal hot spring bath (an onsen), and you weren't allowed to go in if you had a tattoo. I don't have a tattoo so it was fine, but one young woman in our group had one and couldn't go in.
Anyhow, your walk looks fantastic, and I would love to do that also. I hope your phone and license, etc. get back to your very soon. Have a great T day and week ahead. hugs-Erika
What a fantastic postcard day indeed! The postcard from Taiwan and those beautiful coastal stamps add such a lovely touch. It's like a mini getaway through the mail. And, it sounds like a fantastic walk for you...
Happy T Tuesday!
Face tattooing is fascinating, but scary. So glad you elaborated on it for us. The stamps are both beautiful. I really like them a lot and even more so since you explained them to us.
Sorry your phone, etc. is still not there. Nice of friends to share their photos of you and your high altitude walk.
Your Kasteel beer is pretty. I like that the beer and the glass matched. Looks like you enjoyed a nice lunch, too. That snack platter looks yummy. Thanks for sharing your postcard and stamps, your walk, and your stay with your cousin where you enjoyed the beer and food with us for T this Tuesday dear Lisca.
Interesting with the face tattoos.
Hope your phone is with you soon, what a hassle.
At least your friends helped out, such a nice walk and yummy food, too - happy T-Day, hugs
Great postcard and history. Interesting that the Japanese suppressed the ethnic tattoo customs, as the Japanese have a very long tattoo tradition (began 5th century), which was associated with social class marking. Elaborate tattooing now is a marker of the Yakusa -- organized criminals. However, in the war years (1936-46) tattoos were illegal in Japan, so maybe they were applying that in their colonial admin.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Dear Lisca, this is a very special postcard and I also like the stories behind it. But I don't like having my face tattooed ;-)
Very nice, your hike - and you had fine weather with very pleasant temperatures. It's a lot cooler here - around 10°C.
Your pink beer sounds interesting. I like to drink beer with lemonade (Radler) but I haven't heard of it with cherry juice yet... When I come to Holland again, I'll look for it and try it.
Happy T-Day!
Have a nice week and all the best, Traude
🍂🕯️🫖☕🍂☕🫖🕯️🍂
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/11/ausflug-auf-den-harzberg-im-august-ein.htm
Hi Lisca, glad your week was good. the walk looks good, it's always nicer in a group. I walk with a stick, but not with your sticks, although I still have a pair here. Hope you soon get your phone, I would be lost without mine. What did we do in the old days? Happy T day, hugs, Valerie
Your Hike looks wonderful Lisca. I would have so loved to join you! And that food is amazing. Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb
I used to have walking poles and don't know what happened to them. They were great! Looks like a pretty place for a walk. Happy T Tuesday!
Such an interesting history about the postcard.
That is great that you are so active and enjoying company as you walk.
What a yummy and hearty looking meal.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
Hi Lisca, your hike looks very enjoyable and so many people joined too.
Lovely postcards and information as usual, love the stamps, beautiful.
The platter looks delicious, I love things like that rather than a big meal sometimes
Happy T Day from San Francisco. Jan S
The story of the face tattoos was very interesting, but I don't think I'd be able to undergo the process. Big baby, that I am. Looks like you had a good time on your walk. Your snack platter does look very nice and you have a lovely smile posing with the Kasteel. Happy T Day
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