Taipei Travel

The Office of Commerce (TCOOC) will be holding the annual Tea Harvest Festival at Maokong on December 3.
 
According to TCOOC Director Tsai Tsung-hsiung, the fest is held around winter solstice each year by Maokong tea growers in celebration of the successful harvest of the preceding year. To express locals’ gratitude for the blessings, the festival will feature a series of traditions and activities.
 
Goddess “Tea Trade Matsu,” enshrined in the headquarters of Taipei Tea Merchants Association and boasting a history of 127 years, will embark on a pilgrimage to extend her blessings to the tea industry of the district.
 
What follows is the “tea sealing ceremony,” practiced by professional instructors leading participants to write down their wishes on a note and seal it along with new tea leaves in a canister. Once sealed, the tea leaves undergo fermentation, resulting in unique flavors to be relished when the seal is broken many years later.
 
In addition to the customs, the fest will feature other activities including tea sampling at the plank platform near Maokong Gondola Maokong Station, taiko drum performances, martial art lectures to promote 2017 Taipei Universiade, and more.
 
Sign up for the tea sealing event by dialing 02-2391-1368, ext. 5072 or visiting http://goo.gl/nWNqrF (Chinese). Only 40 participants are available. The closing date for registration is November 20.
 
To learn more about the Tea Harvest Festival, visit http://www.facebook.com/tcooc (Chinese).
Source: Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government