(New Year walks to the grassroots) Minnan annual customs: worship Tiangong on the ninth day of the first lunar month, and pray for good luck in the coming year
Chinanews, Zhangzhou, January 30th (Liao Zhenmei) On January 29th, the eighth day of the first month of the lunar calendar at 11:00 pm, the Yuzun Palace in Zhuli Village, Tianbao Town, Xiangcheng District, Zhangzhou, Fujian held a grand "Tiangong's Birthday" worship ceremony, attracting many Citizen participation.
At the same time, the Yuzun Palace in Caohu, Yilan, Taiwan also held a sacrificial ceremony. People on both sides of the strait worshiped the Jade Emperor in the same way, praying for good weather, peace and auspiciousness.
At the worship ceremony that night, Taoist Lin Baoshan, director of the Zhangzhou Tianbao Yuzun Palace Management Committee, said in his speech, "Believers on both sides of the strait will enjoy God's grace, share blessings, and share well-being." Lin Baoshan introduced that in 2023 Zhangzhou Tianbaoyu Zun Palace will continue to join hands with Taiwan Yilan Caohu Yuzun Palace and other cross-strait friendship palaces and temples to carry out cross-strait religious and folk belief cultural exchanges, inherit the Jade Emperor God's belief culture, carry forward the spirit of compassion, and devote itself to helping the poor, donating to education and other religions charity.
At the scene, the reporter saw more than 300 tables of tributes, neatly arranged in a square formation, and the scene was spectacular.
The most eye-catching ones are the dozens of whole pig and whole sheep offerings in the front row, all of which have an orange in their mouths, implying good luck.
Due to the new crown epidemic, Tianbao Yuzun Palace has not held offline sacrificial activities for three years.
"It's so spectacular and lively." Lin Qingxia, a villager from Zhuli Village, brought her family to worship and pray for blessings. She felt that this year was more lively than previous years. Everyone had been looking forward to it for a long time and was very excited.
Also long-awaited is Guo Dawu, a citizen of Shantou, Guangdong. After worshiping in Shantou, the whole family drove to Zhangzhou to worship. "This is our traditional custom, which must be passed down from generation to generation. Everyone worships together. It’s more solemn and more ceremonial.”
It is reported that the ninth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the Jade Emperor in folklore, which is called "Tiangongsheng" in Hokkien, and there is a folk custom of worshiping "Tiangong".
The grand occasion of worshiping Tiangong at Yuzun Palace in Tianbao Town attracts many people from Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangdong to worship and pray for blessings every year.
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