Girl meets boy: Taiwan’s tribal matchmaking festival
‘Lovers’ Night’ is a big celebration for the Amis tribe that culminates with single women taking their pick of the eligible bachelors
As night falls on a square in the village of Matai’an, young women cast critical eyes over a dancing circle of men in embroidered skirts and feathered headdresses as part of an ancient matchmaking ritual.
Known as “Lovers’ Night”, it is the grand finale of the annual harvest festival in the settlement which belongs to the Amis tribe, the largest of the 16 recognised indigenous groups in Taiwan.
Near the island’s rugged east coast, the village is a collection of basic, low-lying houses along meandering streets, located in a valley between two mountain ranges.
The harvest festival – which usually runs between June and August, with each village holding it at a different time – is the biggest and most important celebration for the Amis tribe and in Matai’an it culminates with single women taking their pick of eligible bachelors.
The centuries-old custom is a reflection of the tribe’s matriarchal system, which sees women make key decisions including managing finances and men marry into their wives’ families.
