Sun, Jan 29, 2006 page2

• Taoist rituals still attract crowds

  SEEKING ILLUMINATION With the economy sluggish and politics unstable, rituals such as the 'guangming' light and the An Tai Sui service are drawing crowds

  • By Mo Yan-chih / STAFF REPORTER
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  One morning last week, Luo Tsai-yan (羅彩燕) took a break from her busy schedule to perform one of her Lunar New Year rituals: registering to light good-fortune luminaries at Longshan Temple (龍山寺).

  She carefully wrote down on a piece of paper five family members' names, birthdays, addresses and wishes.

  Then she waited in line at the registration counter to hand the information to temple staff, so they could later stick the information on each of the five luminaries they helped light.

  

  Inside each worship hall of Longshan Temple, lamp pillars embedded with tiny lightbulbs stand next to representations of different deities.

  PHOTO: MO YAN-CHIH, TAIPEI TIMES

  Lighting the luminary -- known in Mandarin as the the guangmingdeng (光明燈) -- is a Taoist tradition to ensure good fortune in the new year, and Luo is just one of many who still follows the custom.

  The illumination ceremonies draw crowds each year to local temples as the Lunar New Year approaches.

  This year at Longshan Temple, however, the rush started since the beginning of the month, when the temple began to accept guangmingdeng registration. Long lines formed outside the temple almost every day at 6am.

  That brisk business -- which kept temple workers busy processing over 1,000 luminary registrations per day -- may be a result of the public's general sense of uncertainty, according to Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), executive secretary of the Longshan Temple.

  "The sluggish economy and awful political situation brought people here to find peace of mind," Chang told the Taipei Times. "Those who are too busy to take care of their kids or their elders also come to seek help from the gods."

  While the guangmingdeng ensure general good fortune, they are traditionally divided into three categories. The "studies light" blesses students with wisdom and good grades, the "career light" protects people's work, and the "wealth light" bestows riches in the new year.

  Another popular yearly ritual is the An Tai Sui (安太歲) service. Those whose zodiac signs are in conflict with Tai Sui -- the deity who rules over all the deities -- perform this ritual to appease the deity and pray for his protection.

  Three years ago, the temple started to offer the lighting of the "Medicine Light," which ensures good health and longevity, at the request of the public, which now includes many elderly. Starting on Lunar New Year's Day, the temple is going to answer another new demand.

  "We will start to offer the `marriage light' because many parents want the blessing of the god of marriage for their daughters, who are still single in their 30s or even 40s," Chang said.

  Inside each worship hall, lamp pillars embedded with tiny lightbulbs stand tall next to different gods. Lamp screens covered by a pink sheet of paper with personal information on them mean that they are already taken.

  "The guangmingdeng rep-resents blessing and enlightenment from God. It gives you wisdom and inspiration, and provides a spiritual and peaceful power to light up your path," Chang said.

  The many people who seek enlightenment at the temple include foreigners from the US, Japan and Australia.

  "Most of the foreigners come to seek good fortune in their careers, and we get people to translate the information into Chinese, in case our gods don't understand what it means," Chang said.

  Sitting at a corner of the long table, a middle-aged woman surnamed Kim (金) was busy filling out her family's information. She said that the uneasy situation in society made her come to the temple, which she rarely visits.

  A woman surnamed Luo, on the other hand, said the custom is a ritual she keeps regardless of the economic or political situation.

  "This is a Chinese tradition that I do every year for my family, whether the economic or political situation is good or bad," she said.

  Chang said the guangmingdeng and An Tai Sui are actually products of modern society. An Tai Sui, for example, was traditionally performed at people's homes, and people would worship the image of Tai Sui on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month.

  The busier lifestyle in modern society, however, has made people entrust the job to the temple. These services have generated substantial funds for the temple since January, since lighting a luminary costs from NT$600 to more than NT$2,000 for a large light.

  Besides the Longshan Temple, another famous temple, Paoan Temple, also offers guangmingdeng and An Tai Sui services. Hsingtien Temple does not offer such services.

  "We followed the traditional ways and encourage people to get an idol of Tai Sui and worship it at home. This is a more effective way to get your prayers answered," said Lee Chu-hua (李楚華), a temple employee.

  The traditional practices of local temples, however, have also gone through changes. Many temples stopped burning ghost money five years ago, and began to accept online registration for guangmingdeng or An Tai Sui services.

  The next step, Chang said, could be to eliminate the burning of incense out of environmental concerns.

  But some of the Lunar New Year traditions -- such as the famous incense-snatching ceremony at Hsingtien Temple on New Year's Day -- will continue to attract crowds to local temples to seek good fortune for the coming year.
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