Saisiat Pastaai

Entertaining the spirits

Sun Moon Banners

Rump Bells

      There are different sayings about the origin of Saisiat Pastaai. According to the legend, the Saisiat tribe and Taai tribe (little men) little men lived in neighborhood in early times. The little men taught the Saisiat the knowledge of planting, medicine, and ritual singing and dancing. To express their appreciation to the little men, the Saisiat invited the neighboring benefactors to their celebrations each time. However, a little man who flirted with a Saisiat young girl one night at a harvest ritual was brutally killed by the irritated villagers. Thereafter, the Saisiat suffered for years from continuous disasters and poor crop. They believed that it was the little men who had caused their misfortune. They decided to change the harvest ritual to be "Pastaai", a ritual ceremony to pray the spirits of the little men from giving disaster to the village.

      The three-day Pastaai ritual ceremony starts at Donghe Village in Miaoli County (South Saisiat) and then moves to Ta-ai Village in Hsinchu County (North Saisiat) the next day. The rituals are composed of three phases: receiving, entertaining, and chasing away the spirits. Only the phase of "entertaining the spirits" is allowed to be open to the outside public. With both the feelings of awe and fear toward the little men, the Pastaai ceremony is solemnly held at nights, which adds the mysterious atmosphere to the ritual.

      The ceremony of "receiving the spirits" starts at dawn of the first day with the chiefs of each clan facing to the east to invite the spirits of the little men to join the ritual. At night, all the villagers join together on the ceremony site to invoke the spirits with solemn songs and dancing. At dawn of the second day, the chief prayer faces to the east to welcome the spirits with rice cakes as offerings. The ceremony of "entertaining the spirits" held in the evening of the second day is the climax of the entire ritual, when the villagers put on their traditional costumes, and invite spectators to dance and drink until daybreak.

      In the rows of singing and dancing villagers, there are "family banners" carried on shoulders of the young men of each clan. The banners were originally carried on the head, called "dancing hats." Those hats were made bigger and bigger with time that they can only be carried on the shoulders instead of the head. On the banner, the family name is embroidered with shining decoration pieces symbolizing the stars and moon, and a mirror symbolizing the sun. Thus, they are also called "Moon Light Banners" or "Sun Moon Banners." The only musical instrument used at the ceremony is the "rump bells," which are made with rows of bamboo tube, copper pipe, bells and decorative beads and which are carried on the bottom of the villagers. They make clear and crystal sounds when the carriers dance and move their bodies in rhythm. The Saisiat people believe that awn grass can protect them from the bad luck posed by the little men. Thus, they tie awn grass on furniture, windows and doors in the house. The spectators should also tie awn grass around their arms to avoid misfortune. It is forbidden to say anything disrespectful during the course of the ceremony.

      The ceremony of "chasing away the spirits" takes place from the third day to the dawn of the fourth day. The young men first jump in turns to pick the awn grass, in order to get good luck in the coming year. Thereafter, the villagers destroy altogether the hazel rack and throw it toward the east, meaning chasing away the spirits of the little men. At the end, the villagers greet one another by sharing sticky rice cakes, drinking and making fun together.