During the pandemic, we skipped many baby-related activities to avoid gatherings, things like baby photo studios and the four-month drooling ceremony, a Taiwanese ritual marking a baby’s transition out of the drooling stage (for which we just bought the cookies and took the photos ourselves). But we decided that at the very least, we still wanted to do zhua zhou, a traditional first-birthday picking ceremony.
We looked into several places, including the Beitou Museum and the Luzhou Lee Family Mansion. In the end, we decided to spend a bit more and do it at Radium Kagaya in Beitou. We would have more time and more private space there.
We had originally invited my parents and my younger brother’s family, but another wave of the pandemic broke out, so they canceled their trip to Taipei. Only my wife’s family came.
When you check in, you first choose a yukata at the front desk and then head to the venue to change.
The banquet comes first, and the ceremony starts afterward.
Radium Kagaya’s zhua zhou follows a Japanese-style ritual. The baby has to carry an issho mochi, a tradition that wishes the child will never lack food or clothing.
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The mochi was genuinely heavy, and my daughter completely broke down crying and crawled toward her mom.
Kagaya had its own props prepared for the ceremony, but we also rented a tiger outfit and a full set of zhua zhou props from Koyama Project Department.
We all preferred the Koyama version, and most of the photos were taken with that set.
With so little hair, our daughter looked like a little novice monk in the yukata. In the tiger outfit, though, she was much cuter.
Thanks to my wife for organizing this whole event.
There was a discount for hot spring access included with the zhua zhou package. My father-in-law and mother-in-law stayed to soak, while we headed straight home. Our daughter was exhausted and in a terrible mood.
Note: This article is translated from Traditional Chinese.
