Some arrive at the temple at 6am to beat the crowds. Some read newspapers while others sit chatting to friends or relatives. One woman chants sutras under her breath. Most devotees here at Longshan Temple (龍山寺) are waiting to "pacify Taisui" (安太歲).
According to Taoist tradition, every year one of 60 heavenly gods is responsible for watching over the world. Taisui is the title of the god designated as monarch.
Religious people are afraid of offending Taisui because doing so is believed to bring bad luck. The ritual of pacifying Taisui, on the other hand, is an auspicious act that will supposedly bring good luck for the next year.
During the month leading up to Lunar New Year, traditionalists line up for hours at Taipei's larger temples - and small, private ones too - to perform the ritual.
After taking a number from a machine like those found in banks, worshippers at Longshan wait their turn - anywhere from an hour to half a day. When their number is called they bring a pink registration form to a counter where they fill out their name, birthday, address and gender.
After the worshipper pays a fee of NT$600, they write their name on a red strip of paper that is then placed in a shrine devoted to Taisui. The strips of red paper are then collected and, a few days before Lunar New Year, a Taoist priest holds a ceremony to bless the slips of paper, after which they are placed into Taisui's shrine.
Longshan Temple, located in Taipei's Wanhua (萬華) district, is Taipei's most popular place for pacifying Taisui. The temple limits applications to 1,000 per day.
Paoan Temple (保安宮) is slightly more expensive at NT$800 a pop, but worshippers generally don't have to wait as long. Here, instead of a red slip of paper being placed in a shrine, a small lamp is lit inside the shrine of Taisui.
Not everyone needs to perform the rites each year. "The lunar calendar shows who needs to pacify Taisui," said a woman surnamed Huang (黃) at Paoan Temple. "This year, it is especially important for people born in the Year of the Rat or Horse to come to the temple," she said. This is because, according to the zodiac, the coming year is that of the Rat. The Horse is the sign that falls opposite it.
Huang chose Paoan Temple because of its short waiting time. She began worshipping at the temple three years ago after being diagnosed with breast cancer. "The god of this temple was a doctor who healed people," she said. "After learning that I had breast cancer, a friend told me to come this temple. I soon recovered [from my illness]."
Last year, over 60,000 red strips of paper lined Taisui's shrine at Longshan Temple, which brought in about NT$36 million for the temple. The publicly run temple, which donates the proceeds from the Taisui ritual to charities throughout Taiwan, estimates this year's total will outstrip last year's.
Another worshipper, Mr Chen (陳), has come to Longshan Temple to pacify Taisui on behalf of his daughter, who was born in the Year of the Horse. But he has also come for other reasons.
"I want to light a 'safety lantern' to keep my family safe for the next year," he said. The "safety lantern" (平安燈) is part of another service offered by temples in the month before Lunar New Year. Chen will also light an "education lantern" (文昌燈) for his son because he's taking his university entrance exam next year.
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