The Wangye Worshiping Ceremony in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港) is this year held on a smaller scale than originally planned as part of the nation’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The festival, held from today to Sunday next week, normally attracts tens of thousands of participants holding rituals to prevent the spread of plagues, making it one of the largest religious rituals in the southern part of Taiwan.
The festival, held every three years, is this year limited to 98 groups, compared with about 200 groups that attended in 2018, said Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米), who is from Pingtung.
The number of participants is limited to 5,000, compared with 20,000 in former iterations.
Worshipping Wangye — who are believed to be divine emissaries to this world — is particularly popular in southern Taiwan. They are believed to expel disease and evil from those who worship them.
Influenced by traditions brought from China’s Fujian and Guangdong provinces, Wangye worship was widely adopted at a time when epidemics were frequent and medical knowledge was lacking in Taiwan.
The ceremony, centered around Donglong Temple (東隆宮), has been held for about 300 years. The highlight of the eight-day event is the burning of a King Boat built by worshiper specifically for the festival, which symbolizes the release of the Wangye.
The boat burning tradition dates back about 1,000 years, and some historians think that it might have been inspired by the discovery that fire is effective at destroying pathogens, the Tourism Bureau said.
Building a King Boat, which typically features detailed paintings of dragons, elephants and sages, often costs as much as a sports car, the bureau said.
In 2010, the ceremony was listed as an intangible cultural asset by the Ministry of Culture.
Despite its smaller scale this year, the festival is expected to attract a large crowd, as some believe that participation can stave off bad luck and bring blessings.
Traffic controls are in place around the temple, and visitors are advised to plan their trips in advance. Wearing a mask is required at all times.
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS