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On Tuesday this week, Konfu members enjoyed the year-end banquet, Weiya. To celebrate we would like to share the interesting Taiwanese Weiya culture with you.

Weiya is a traditional annual celebration honoring the god of land, Tudigong, that is normally held ahead of the Lunar New Year. Guabao and Popiah are traditional foods that Taiwanese families prepare for this occasion. Guabao is known as a Taiwanese hamburger and is becoming popular in the world due to the innovative application of Korean chef, David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar and Taiwanese-American Chef, Eddie Huang. A Guabao includes steamed bao bun, which looks like coin pouch and is served as a symbol of wealth. And cooked pork belly, pickled vegetables, coriander, and peanut powder are typical filling in Guabao. Popiah is kind of non-fried spring roll, including braised pork, shredded omelette, bean sprouts, carrot shreds, and peanut powder. It also has the symbol of fortune as the Popiah wrapper roll up various ingredients tightly, which looks like roll of bank notes in ancient China.

In modern times, employers treat their employees in Weiya to thank them for the hard work throughout the year. Most of the businesses also hold a raffle in Weiya to spice up the event. Some businesses organize series of fascinating shows, like singing or dancing along with the feast.  Dressing for and seeing other colleagues dressed for Weiya is another interesting part of the celebration. Konfu’s weiya was simple but warm.  We had a delicious lunch together and had a thrilling raffle at the end. Every Konfu member received a red envelope as a symbol of good fortune for the coming year.

We wish you a delightful Christmas holiday and a prosperous start to the New Year!