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Taiwan Trivia Episode 2
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How red is your underwear?
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Hey!
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Did you ever feel that life is difficult?
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Did you ever feel so challenged that you wished for a different fate?
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But what exactly can you do to turn your luck around?
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In Taiwan, people are very passionate about "Kai-Yun",
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which means praying for good luck and avoiding bad fortune in our daily lives.
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If you are someone who believes in fate,
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in Taiwan, there is something called Auspicious dates.
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If you do certain things at a certain time,
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it will change your life for the better.
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For example:
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If Taiwanese people wish for a year of good fortune,
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They would fight to be the first one to rush into a temple on the morning of Chinese New Year's Day
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OH! He's put the first incense into the burner.
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If they think they don't have enough money,
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they will borrow money from the God of Wealth or Cai Shen
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because they believe that spending the money of the gods will bring even more prosperity in the future.
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When they are hungry, they will eat food with different colors and food with rounded shape or a lot of stuffing to summon good fortune.
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What about marriage? If Taiwanese people can't find a good match, their parents will take their children to Yue Lao or God of Marriage.
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They will ask for a red string or buy peach blossoms to try and find their better half.
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If someone is ill, they will take the clothes of the patient and go around the incense burner three times.
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They will light the candles before the Gods, and wear a kind of herb called Le-goo-mi-nu-si to pray for safety.
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If they wish for luck, some Taiwanese even take baths at night using flower petals and leaves.
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Some people would even wear red underwear or put lucky charms next to the bed for good luck.
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Do you think this is too superstitious?
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In fact, for a lot of Taiwanese people, they would be restless if they didn't do it!
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The religious belief in Taiwan is influenced by many countries.
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Their ancestors are mostly immigrants arriving through dangerous waters.
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Due to the hardships and uncertainty they face, most believe that besides hard work,
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praying for good fortune and avoiding evil is the key to a fulfilled life.
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The Taiwanese value of life is a combination of religion, customs, Feng-Shui, the five elements, and Chinese astrology.
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So when students are about to take a big test, most parents will take them to the temple for prayers instead of encouraging them.
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Parents: "prayers bring blessings."
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The Taiwanese people believe that man proposes, God disposes.
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In other words, they believe that there will be order from the spiritual world.
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This belief is different from the mindset of the West: Where there is a will, there is a way.
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Taiwanese people are not as confident. Apart from self-motivated diligence, they entrust their success to the care of the gods.
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So naturally, when the gods don't bring good results, they will become furious!
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Nevertheless, in this island where people elevate spiritual fortune,
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you will find that many religions coexist peacefully along with their abundant varieties of customs.
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You can even buy a Kai-yun lucky red underwear in a 24/7 convenience store.
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Next time you visit Taiwan, why don't you bring some good fortune home as well?
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This video is brought to you by Taiwan Trivia.
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Oh! If you like this video, please click the subscribe button for future updates!
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To bring good fortune to our dear viewers, we have already prayed for blessing from the Goddess Mazu.