Alizu (Ancestral Spirit)

Alizu is not a single deity but the Siraya people's collective name for their ancestral spirits — spirits who watch over the community's cycles of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and who move with the rhythms of the natural world. Dutch rule and the wave of sinicization under the Qing dealt heavy blows to Siraya tradition, and their language, their surnames, and their ways of life were changed piece by piece — yet pot worship stubbornly endured, becoming the most vivid marker of Siraya identity. Among the most famous beliefs passed down through the generations is that of the healing 'Xiang Water' — the pot water blessed by Alizu, said to cure any illness. The 'General Pillar' within the kuwa stands for the authority and power of the ancestral spirits. To this day, places such as Danei, Jiali, and Dongshan in Tainan still keep their kuwa and Night Ceremony traditions intact, so that the life of this Austronesian ancestral faith carries on in the Qian Qu songs sung through the night.

Alizu worship differs entirely from the temple practices of the Han, preserving the original ritual character of the Austronesian peoples: the place of worship is the kuwa, not a temple, and the sacred symbol is a water-filled ritual pot, not a statue. In the rite, the people offer betel nut, rice wine, and tobacco, and the ceremony is led by the "Ang-i," a female priestess. The Ang-i holds a place of great weight in Siraya society — she can commune with the ancestral spirits, heal the sick, and divine fortune. At the heart of it all is the "Xiang Water," the pot water blessed by Alizu, believed to heal and to ward off evil; and in matters great and small, the people come to the kuwa to seek Alizu's counsel. Notably, the faith is passed down through the female line and the kuwa is kept by female elders — an echo of the matrilineal society of the early Siraya.

The most important Siraya ceremony is the "Night Ceremony" (Mahanru), held annually on the 14th-15th of the 10th lunar month. Beginning at nightfall and lasting until dawn, the entire ceremony is led by the Ang-i as tribespeople sing the ancient "Qian Qu" (Holding Hands Songs), forming large circles hand-in-hand while invoking ancestral spirits. The "Pig Flipping" ritual — turning a whole pig as a sacrificial offering — is the Night Ceremony's most iconic image. The Tainan Danei Toushe Kuwa hosts the grandest Night Ceremony, attracting thousands annually and designated as a Tainan Municipal Folk Custom. Dongshan Jibeiwa and Zuozhen Kousheliao also maintain Night Ceremony traditions. Some Siraya communities also hold a smaller "Spring Ceremony" in the 3rd lunar month to thank ancestral spirits for a good spring planting.