【★ The harvest festival at millet time ★ 】   

Millet is called Hafay or Lamlo in Amis language. With high nutritive value, millet is called the "king of grains," but it is usually forgotten by people. In recent years it has valued by people with the health preserving tendency, some orient countries have listed it as one of the healthy food. 
Before rice was introduced to Taiwan in the 19^th century, millet is the main crop for Amis, and it is also the primary crop for them. After the harvest of millet, each tribe will hold big celebrations to express their thanks to gods.

《 Millet God has many taboos 》 

Amis believes that millet is the most sensitive one in plant gods, and it is also the most inconvenient crop. Millet god has special spiritualism; it has sacred eyes, ears, senses. Therefore it has many taboos, if people have violated them; they may have to suffer calamities. Therefore, when the farmers reap millet in the field, they have to be careful about their words and even their movements, otherwise they may offend the millet god and bring disasters to themselves, or even natural and man-made disaster and finally make them cannot harvest the millet.

《Millet ceremony varieties》 

In millet time, the ups and downs of millet production rest with the holding of different ceremonies rather than the artificial cultivation techniques. Therefore different ceremonies have to be hold since planting to harvest, the following table has listed the rituals that have to be hold mating the growing process of millet.

1) Hunting ritual (Miaop): Ten or fifteen days before plant, the male will go out to hunt together to celebrate the harvest of millet in advance.

2) Preparation ritual (Matongdaw): Before planting, the family should eat up all the fish at home and wash the instrument that fish are placed to avoid that it may go against millet god.

3) Sowing ritual (Pafraanf): When plant millet, the farmers should pray to millet god, Ciohafayaw for the good weather and millet harvest.

4) Weeding ritual (Mikuias): It happens at weeding and restriction of stock time, symbolizes that the millet will grow up.

5) Expelling worms ritual (Mitapoh): It is not necessary, but will be held when millet suffers insect pest.

6) Pray for sunshine ritual (Pakacidal): It is not necessary, but will be held when the rain has lasted for many days pray for the sunny weather.

7) Harvest ritual (Milikoc): Before harvest, all the villagers will obey rules, they cannot eat shish and should wash clean the instrument that fish are placed.

8) Harvest beginning ritual (Mihafay): The morning which the officially harvest of millet begins, pray for the smooth harvest.

9) Warehouse ritual (Minaang): Store the millet in the warehouse for the first time, pray for safe.

10) Thanksgiving ritual (Misalisin): When all the millets are placed in the warehouse, the tribe will hold comprehensive ritual; this is also the most important one as well as the origin of modern harvest festival.

《 Types of ceremony》

The chief and each male age class and priests will preside over the rituals together, it takes the original religious form, the content is simple and solemn, there are no special songs and dances, its main content is to offer sacrifice to ancestors, and it is not as complex, bold and jolly as current harvest festival. In the original ceremony of millet time, the harvested millet and other crops, pork, Pinang, sticky rice and wine and sometimes even the hunted human head are offered as the sacrifices.

【★  The harvest festival at rice time  ★】

Rice is called Panany or Tipos in Amis language. Its cultivation method is different from millet, not so complex. For the intervention of Han, Amis has gradually abandoned millet cultivation in the beginning of the 20^th century, and rice has become the main crop. Therefore, they have entered another agriculture society, the sacrifice course is also amended.

《 Spiritualism 》

Millet and rice are the crops of totally different spiritualism. Millet god is fury and cannot be offended, while rice god is gentle and kind, it usually will not hurt human.   Therefore, at harvest time, men can sing highly when they plant, and women can join in the singing.

《 Ceremony varieties 》

In rice time, the different kinds of ceremonies of millet time are not completely abolished. A small part of ceremonies have been changed to the rice ceremony, but the taboos are not as complex as that in millet time. The following table is the sacrifice ceremonies that must be held matching the growth of rice:

1)Water conducting ritual (Palinanom): Pray to the god in charge of water that there will be no lack of water.

2)Seedling ritual (Misacapox): Pray for the gods to give the good weather so that the crops may grow up easily.

3)Reaping ritual (Mitipos): Pray to the gods for successful harvest.

4)Pray for rain ritual (Pakaorar): It is not nessary, if there is no rain it will be held to pray for the rain.

5)Pray for sunshine ritual (Pakacidal): It is not necessary, but will be held when the rain has lasted for many days pray for the sunny weather.

6)Warehouse ritual (Minaang): Store the millet in the warehouse for the first time, pray for safe.

7)Thanksgiving ritual (Misalisin): When all the millets are placed in the warehouse, the tribe will hold comprehensive ritual; this is also the most important one as well as the origin of modern harvest festival.
 

《 Ceremony type 》