Old things in the south

Chapter 51 Taiwan Folklore Miscellaneous (2)
We are catching up with the ranks of Mazu's inspections. Several large trucks decorated with festoons, carrying gods of all sizes, go around every alley that can be driven in.The women in the household were ordered by the deacons who opened the way to put away the "unclean things"-the women's clothes and pants drying on the bamboo poles-quickly, and then followed the floats one after another.In the vanguard are the Prince of Xiqin, Marshal Tiandu and other gods, and the last is the Heavenly Virgin—Mazu, wearing a red satin embroidered coat.Believers, men and women, all held small bamboo baskets containing incense and offerings. Some of them who confessed to sins still wore paper cannons on their heads and ran behind the floats.The most interesting thing is that there is a pair of couplets posted on the back of Marshal Tian Du’s car. The first couplet is "Marshal Xian Tang", and the second couplet is "Old Mr. Republic of China", which proves that this fairy has surpassed the times. Take a truck, no complaints!
I don't quite understand why the Prince of West Qin and Marshal Tian Du were brought out to welcome Mazu.The Prince of West Qin and Marshal Tiandu are the gods worshiped by the entertainment industry (in Taiwan, the Beiguan School worships the Prince of West Qin, and the Nanguan School worships Marshal Tiandu). Probably there are too many gods in Taiwan. Sometimes, there must always be some accompanying priests.

How many gods are there in Taiwan?Someone raised this question, and I saw a very detailed investigation in "Taiwan Peasant Life Examination" written by Japanese Kajiwara Michiyoshi.Gods in Taiwan can be divided into four categories: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and miscellaneous religions. There are about [-] gods in total, but not only gods, but also "ghosts" are included.There are nearly [-] formal temples, enshrining various gods and ghosts.

In addition to the three most commonly worshiped gods, the Holy Mother of Heaven, the God of Fortune, and Guanyin Buddha, the more important ones among the [-] gods are:

Wugu Xiandi, Taiyi Daoist, Narcissus King, Sanshan King, Kaizhang Sage King, Kaitai Sage King, Guangze Zunwang, Baoyi Zunwang, Baoyi Doctor, Yang Wushi, Yang Liushi, Lingguan Great Emperor, Marshal Wulei , Emperor Guansheng, Emperor Wenchang, Emperor Fuyou, Emperor Dakuixing, God Zhuyi, Lord Chenghuang, King Lingan, Lord Jing, Emperor Dongyue, King Huguo Zun, Prince Shunzhengfu, Prince Xiqin, Tiandu Marshal, Mr. Pan, Mr. Simingzao, Emperor Sanguan, God Xuantian, Emperor Baosheng, Marshal Zhongtan, Lord Fa, Mrs. Linshui, Mrs. San still, Nine Heavens Xuannv, Immortal Ancestor of Li Mansion, Avalokitesvara Buddha, Patriarch, Patriarch Qingshui, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Prince, Empress Zhusheng, Mrs. Chitou.

Some of the above are "national" gods that also exist on the mainland, and everyone is familiar with them, such as Guan Shengdijun, Wenchang Emperor, Dongyue Emperor, City God, Zaojun, etc.There are "local" gods whose names have not even been heard.

Noon Water and Dragon Boat

Taiwanese who love festivals, now it’s time to eat and have fun during the Dragon Boat Festival.The Dragon Boat Festival is not a festival exclusive to Taiwanese. Any Chinese is familiar with it, but Taiwanese have a more lively life.Making zongzi, of course, is the first important thing to do during the Dragon Boat Festival. These days, country people carry bamboo leaves all over the streets, and the price of glutinous rice is twice as expensive as that of Penglai rice.

Like the custom in the mainland, on the Dragon Boat Festival, besides making zongzi, calamus and banyan branches are hung at the door of every house.There is a proverb in Taiwan that says: "Putting banyans is braver than dragons, and planting moxa is stronger." At the same time, the whole family also uses calamus to make soup for bathing.On this day, Taiwanese still have a few things to eat: eat kidney beans and eggplants. They say: "Eating kidney beans is older, eating eggplants is more exciting." It means: eating kidney beans can make you live longer, and eating eggplants will increase your vitality.To eat peaches and plums, you should say: "Eat peaches for fat, eat plums for beauty." In short, no matter what you eat on this day, you must give a major reason. "Fat" is another matter.

At noon on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, there is another important work to be done. Adults and children carry jars or bottles to the well to collect water and store it, which is called "noon water".It is said that noon water will never go bad. After it is stored and sealed, it can be taken at any time throughout the year (of course it is very precious, so you can’t drink it every day for fun). It can be used as an internal medicine for antipyretic; if you encounter When it is swollen and painful, it can also be used as a surgical wash.The common proverb also says: "Water at noon is fat and beautiful when you drink it." Originally, water at noon was used in the open air and exposed to sunlight to comply with the rules, but the year has changed, and superstitions have to be revised with the trend. Tap water also barely counts, as long as the company does not stop running water.

"Jingchu Shishiji" uploaded: "Rattling boats at noon to save Qu Yuan." This kind of dragon boat racing has long been slowly extinct in the mainland, but it gradually decreased in Taiwan during World War II.The Taiwanese call it "Picking Dragon Boat", and there will be a lot of gongs and drums at that time, and people on both sides of the strait are cheering.Although this is to commemorate Qu Yuan, it means nostalgic;For example, there are too many drowned ghosts in Danshui River these days, so it can be held once.

One day in 1948, a train from Taipei caught fire when it reached Gangzaizui.Just at this time the train was about to cross the river, the driver originally planned to cross the river quickly and then stop, but he didn't know that he stopped in the middle of the river.As a result, many people were burned to death, and many others jumped into the river and drowned, causing an unprecedented tragedy.Later, a "dragon boat" was held in that river, just to drive away evil spirits.

After July

In the middle of the year in Taiwan, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is a busy and money-wasting month.There is a saying in Taiwan: "Stay frugal and tighten your belly until the fifteenth of July." It means that no matter how frugal you are, you will always pass the fifteenth of July.In fact, in July, it has been lively since the first day of the first day of the lunar new year.Of course I have to say goodbye to the first grade of junior high school.On July 16th, all families with children will pay homage to Qiniangma.Taiwanese pay attention to being 16 years old, saying that 16 years old is an adult, and before 16 years old is a child, and is protected by a goddess called Zhusheng Empress.At the age of 16, the Zhusheng Empress is no longer responsible for protecting her.So there are families with [-]-year-old children. On July [-]th, girls start to wear buns, and boys also wear braids.Of course, this is a matter of old age, and now it should be changed to girls can start to perm, boys can start to comb the nose of the plane!
On July [-]th, worshiping Qiniangma is a paper-pasted Qiniangma Pavilion. This kind of pavilion is very exquisite, with green walls, red tiles and gold railings. There are also small altars in the pavilion, with silver candlesticks on it, etc. Wait, this kind of "Paper Paster" is the only one to do this business.The offerings on the table at the same time as the Qiniangma Pavilion include: red tortoise cake, end tortoise, chicken, duck, egg, pork, fish, taro, fried rice, fruit, betel nut, wine, and cosmetics.It's all done by women in the family, and July [-]th seems to belong to women.

After the 16th of July, it's time for the Pudu to be held in various places, including singing operas and pig slaughtering.This year, the government issued an order saying that because of the saving period, everyone is advised to celebrate on the fifteenth day.But my relatives in my hometown wrote to say that the 29th and [-]th are both lively days, and they hope that I will go home to spend Zhongyuan together.For only one day, everyone must always be unwilling. According to the rules, it is [-] Zhongyuan, [-] water lanterns, [-] Purdue, until the gate of hell is closed on [-], this July will not be over.

To be honest, the waste of this July is "eating".Those who raise pigs at home have to slaughter pigs, and slaughtering pigs also means raising pigs. It is said that a certain family slaughtered the biggest pig, and everyone wants to watch the fun.And in order to celebrate that the pigs of this family are particularly fat, many relatives and friends want to reward money. The wall of this house is covered with red paper notes, which say how much a certain gentleman will reward, and how much a certain treasure will reward. The more red stripes, the more decent.

As for the pig that was usually pampered and ate better than its master, it also got the opportunity to repay the master's kindness by offering its limited life and getting infinite glory back to the master.

Mr. Kitchen
In Taiwan, the Stove King is sent to heaven on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. Not only the Stove King, but other gods—there are many gods in Taiwan—also go to heaven.

The ceremony of sending the gods to the gods is to offer offerings with winter melon candy and mandarin oranges, and then burn the god horses and gold paper.Sending off to God is always in the morning.On the 25th, it is said that the Jade Emperor will descend to the world to investigate whether the reports of the gods are true or not.Therefore, it is not allowed to splash dirty water on this day, for fear that just in time for the arrival of the gods, it would be impolite to splash him all over.On this day, it is not allowed to swear or swear, for fear that the gods will listen to it.From the 26th, the women in the family are busy, grinding rice and steaming cakes, preparing for the New Year.

Until the fourth day of the first lunar month next year, it is time to welcome the gods again, that is, to bring back the group of gods who were sent to heaven last year.The ceremony of welcoming the gods is held at six or seven o'clock in the evening.Prepare six bowls of vegetables and various fruits, and of course "bye" is unavoidable.

Why send God in the morning and receive God in the evening?I heard that this has something to do with women's affairs.For example, when a woman returns to her natal home, she always leaves early. When she returns to her husband’s home, her natal family always bids farewell, so she doesn’t come back until dusk.This is to think about the gods with the psychology of a woman, and it is really meticulous.

I heard that Zao Jun is a beautiful man, and there is a story about Zao Jun, but I don’t know if it belongs to Taiwan Zao Jun or if all Zao Jun are the same.The story goes that Zao Jun is the third son of the Jade Emperor. He is a beautiful man who is naturally lustful. His daily behavior is quite romantic. God of the Stove, let you go to the kitchen and watch all the women!" But he went to the kitchen to have a look, drink!The women who dare to go into the kitchen to light the fire in the morning are all unkempt, what is there to see?So he went up to the Jade Emperor and said that the women in the kitchen had a head of lice, and they cooked in a pot without washing their hands and faces when they got out of bed, and they loved to speak dirty words.So the Jade Emperor set six prohibitions for the kitchen to discipline the women in the kitchen.

I also heard that the Stove Lord is a god who cherishes notes. He forbids people to read books by the stove, and does not allow people to burn fire with writing paper. If he breaks the law, he will give him a stomachache.

years of preparation
From the [-]th day of the [-]th lunar month in the old calendar, chickens and ducks are slaughtered to worship the gods of good fortune. After the "end teeth" of the year, every household will be busy with preparations for the New Year.

The "Sending Gods" on the 24th is a big event. The gods sent by the Jade Emperor to the world are sent to heaven to make this year's "Policy Report".These gods will return to the world on the fourth day of the first lunar month next year to resume their duties.

Steamed kueh is a big thing for housewives, and many people grind their own rice for steaming.Most of the work of steaming kuih starts to prepare after the delivery of the gods on the 24th.

There are four kinds of kueh that must be made, namely: sweet kueh, steamed with glutinous rice flour and sugar; Grate radish into shreds and put it in rice noodles, add wild rice, dried shrimp, etc. and steam it.On New Year's Eve, it is time to offer sacrifices at home. If you have a Buddhist hall or a family temple, you will celebrate the New Year's Eve here, and the whole family will reunite, eating and drinking.

Taiwanese proverb says:
Sweet Kueh New Year,

Send Kueh, send money,

Bags wrapped in gold,

Carrot Kueh for dim sum.

So you have to try everything!
Taiwanese like to "worship", not only worshiping ancestors, but also worshiping the sky. Every stone and tree has become an object of worship, so there is a saying that the stone is the king, and the banyan tree is the king.

The banyan tree is a very common tree in Taiwan. In the courtyards of homes, there are often such trees with long beards hanging from them. The branches and leaves are dense and grow very fast.Botanically, banyan belongs to Moraceae, an evergreen tree, which is produced in warm areas, and there are many in Taiwan and Guangdong and Guangxi.Not only is it tall, but its horizontal development is also impressive. Sometimes hundreds of people can stand under a big banyan tree!
The banyan leaf has a long oval stalk and a flat leaf surface. Its strangeness is due to the fact that many whisker-like aerial roots grow from the branches and hang down on the ground.Large banyan trees mostly grow in temples in Taiwan.The legend about the banyan tree is as follows:
Once upon a time, there was an emperor who rested under a banyan tree during a tour. Because the banyan tree gave the emperor coolness, he gave it the official position of Wuyang doctor and gave it a life that should have long beards.Banyan trees may be respected in this way.Because the banyan tree is so precious, it is forbidden to burn it as firewood. It is said that if the person who cuts the banyan tree and burns it, the family will surely fall into a poor life.However, there are legends in Taichung, Chiayi and Lukang that if banyan trees are planted in the courtyard of a home, disaster will surely happen to the home.People in Taipei think that if they plant banyan trees at home, they should hire beggars to plant them.Because if a child plants a banyan tree, when the tree grows to be as tall as that child, that child will suffer misfortune.These legends are quite scary. No wonder Taiwanese respect and fear Rongshugong.But I don't understand why many people can see this kind of tree.Probably this kind of tree will grow in people's yard by itself through wind medium. After it grows, no one dares to cut down the long-bearded banyan tree, so there are more and more banyan trees.

However, on May [-]th, in addition to pu ai, a few banyans should be hung on the door of every house. As the Taiwanese saying goes, "planting banyans is braver than dragons", which means that those who plant banyans will not drown.

toss
Michiyo Kajiwara said in the book "Taiwan Peasant Life Examination": "Sacrifice is a ritual for the negotiation between gods and humans." The purpose of Taiwanese sacrifices is nothing more than prayer, gratitude, and comfort. Things, but I don’t know how much money is spent on it every year!There are too many gods in Taiwan, and Taiwanese people also believe in the saying that "gods exist three feet above your head", so they are really in awe of gods, and "only God is obedient" everywhere.

When Taiwanese worship gods and pray, in addition to offerings, the indispensable thing is "throwing rice bowls". Throwing rice bowls is just a microphone for negotiating between humans and gods.There is a proverb in Taiwan that says: "If you don't have money, Jiacha can't talk, and if you worship God, you can't throw wine." It means: if you don't have money, you can't talk to women, and if you don't drink, you can't throw wine.

The meaning of "throwing 筶" can be said like this: "Throwing 筶 is to see how the god looks." The word 筶 has been checked even in the Kangxi dictionary, but it can't be found. It must be a dialect word!It is cut from bamboo into a half-moon shape two or three inches long, with one side flat and the other convex.The flat surface is yang, and the convex surface is yin.There are two in each group. After throwing the ball, three results can be produced:

([-]) One yang and one yin are holy pots.The auspicious image is also a symbol of God's accommodation or permission.

([-]) Eryang is a laughing pot.It means half good and half bad, which symbolizes that God is sneering.

([-]) Eryin is anger.The fierce elephant also symbolizes the wrath of God.

When is it thrown?As long as you pray to God, you will throw it, and even the smallest things can only be done with God's approval.Never act rashly.The order of worship is as follows:
([-]) Lay the offering before God.

([-]) Light the candles on the left and right in front of God.

([-]) Pour three cups of tea before God.

([-]) After lighting the incense and worshiping, insert it directly into the incense burner.

([-]) The five wine cups before God are filled with wine for the first time.

([-]) Toss to see if God has come.To keep throwing the holy wand, it means that the god has come.

([-]) Once the holy bowl is out, pour the wine for the second time.

([-]) Then throw the throwing bowl and pray to God until God grants your prayer.to continue.

([-]) To draw lots, you must first throw the chau, and let God agree with you.Therefore, the lottery can only be drawn after the sanctuary is thrown.

([-]) After drawing the lottery, throw the lottery again. Only when the holy stick is thrown, it means that the lottery is correct. If it is not a holy stick, then you have to draw again, and then re-roll, until you can get the lottery until the holy stick is thrown. Just sign to change signature.

Because throwing chau is so important in worshiping gods, there are many chai in front of the shrines in various temples. At the same time, you can also see the people who throw chau sincerely worship and worship, praying for the appearance of "holy chai".

(End of this chapter)