Swearing with Chickens, and other Taiwan Bird Adventures – S5-E31
Inspired by Taichung’s recent hosting of the World Bird Fair, Eryk and John explore Taiwan’s rich avian diversity and look at bird omens, bird gambling, and bird superstitions. Star species make cameo appearances, but it’s the humble chicken that gets the spotlight in this episode… and the chopping board! (Apologies for Eryk’s fondness for certain sound effects). The beheading of chickens at temples was once a common folk judicial ritual – yes, oaths of legal innocence were sworn before temple gods with the aid of feathered sacrifices. Sounds a bit gruesome, but trust us; it’s a fun episode. We swear it before the City God (whack!).
Cover images via Wiki Commons.
Taipei Times 2003: Activists condemn chicken slaughter
Image below from article above and shows the kind of "wet market" chicken slaughter Eryk experienced as a young person in Taiwan. From Taipei Times: "Most chickens have their throats cruelly cut by sharp knives and then are thrown into boiling water to remove their feathers before they have even breathed their last breath," said Shih Wu-hung (
READ: Divine Justice: Chicken-beheading Rituals in Japanese Occupation Taiwan and their Historical Antecedents - by Paul R. Katz
Fowl Play: Chicken-beheading Rituals and Dispute Resolution in Taiwan Paul R. Katz University of Hawai'i Press, 2004.
More from PAUL R. KATZ, an important China/Taiwan researcher. Below is a picture of Katz from his Academia Sinica bio (Chinese).
TAIWAN COCKFIGHTING: "cockfights are regularly held just a stone's throw away from the Provincial Assembly in suburban Wufeng." (1990 - TAIWAN TODAY)
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