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 Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
RSS