Truly one of the mysteries of the Chinese world is the fact that many people faithfully perform rituals often with no idea of their origins. As a foreigner wanting to learn more about Chinese culture this is very frustrating. Upon asking “Why?” we get the ubiquitous ‘There is no why!”, basically “Don’t be silly and ask!”
Among the most intriguing activities of young men in Taiwan (and Chinese East Asia) is ‘Aluba’.
I quote the Wikipedia:
“A male student is lifted up by several of his classmates and his groin is then rubbed against a hard object such as a pole, a tree, or even the edge of a door. In Taiwan, Aluba is usually performed by hitting the victim's groin on a tree trunk or a pole.”
I can’t imagine the original beginning of this activity. I thought it was stunning that so many people knew about it but most couldn’t remotely give me an idea of where it came from.
My first internet search turned up precious little. A few references here and there.
http://www.2flippant.com/pmachine/forum/threads.php?id=72_0_2_0_C
http://www.sinosplice.com/weblog/archives/001215.php
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Bistro/5799/diction.htm
I was about to give up hope until I started fooling around with Wikipedia, a fantastic editable online encyclopedia. Not only did I find info and a picture but also links to footage. Moreover, I found out that Aluba has an English equivalent called ‘Happy Corner’.
Read the whole thing here!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Corner
1 comment:
I'm wondering if they can separate his feet by motorcycling him or not
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