Increase festive atmosphere and express feeling

During ethnic-minority festivals wine is not associated with religion but as a kind of medium used to gather people together and increase their cohesiveness. People use wine to summon their peers and drink it to express their feelings and to unite the will of the people. On these occasions, wine is no longer dominated by the gods and becomes a drink for human beings.

Traditionally, ethnic-minority festivals are upbeat and passionate, and wine, which is indispensable during the festival period, is used to warm up the spirit and increase the festive atmosphere.

Every autumn after harvest time, the Gaoshan ethnic minority of Taiwan Province, celebrates the Harvest Festival. Prior to the festival, men go hunting in the mountains to slaughter sheep and pigs, and women brew wine and prepare food for the festivities. During the festival, every tribe and village gathers together to drink wine. Wine is used as a tool to deepen the festive atmosphere, vent feelings and strengthen friendships.

The Drung people call the Spring Festival "Guxi", which was the only festival celebrated in the Drung society before the 1950s. Due to a poor acknowledgement of time, Drung villages celebrate the festival at different times in the year. On the eve of "Guxi" relatives and friends arrive one by one. When a guest enters the gate, the host proposes a toast with a two-eared cup made of bamboo knurl. Over the next few days, each family takes turns treating others while everyone sings and dances together.

For people of the Hani ethnic minority , October is known as the first month of the year, and the October Festival is their grandest festival. When the festival approaches each year, Hani households prepare sticky rice cakes and make "Menguo Wine". This wine is made from a single kind of grain and has a sweet taste. During the festival, the most exciting activity is the street banquet called "Zi Ba Duo". As a collective banquet, its huge number of participants, grand setting and festive atmosphere are unparalleled anywhere. The banquet is usually arranged according to villages, where big villages are divided into different areas serving as hosts.

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