Ching Shui Tsu Shih’s Birthday
This celebration has been held annually since the construction of the temple over 100 years ago. In the past, performances known as “Ge Zai Xi” will be presented to the patriarch for a month and locals would cook “Pong Teng Ah”, prepare food such as sugar cake, yam ice, or present items like clayed dolls of Guan Gong. However, such activities are cancelled and today, the festival is significantly less massive.
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| Temple's Main Chamber |
The celebration commences on 6th January of the Lunar Calendar, when people will visit the temple to enjoy the prepared food. Donation will also be encouraged and collected funds will be utilised to garner food ingredients so that food can be prepared for every visitor. The purpose of the celebration is therefore, also to provide food for the people, especially the needy. Other traditional Taoist rituals such as Dipper Worship (禮斗) will also be carried out. During this ritual, a large pale is filled with rice to signify good harvest, then a fan and a sword is inserted into the rice. They are all items to help build prosperity in the future.
Where
to see lion dances: Chinese New Year, temple celebrations, store openings,
third month of the Lunar calendar
The
Lion Dance has slowly modified to become a fun spectacle during Chinese New
Years and increasingly less valued as a cultural tradition. One teacher in
Wanhua wants to change that thought and works with the local community to
educate students young and old about the significance of the Lion Dance.
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| Teacher Gao (高文亮老師) |
Teacher
Gao (高文亮老師)
made clay lion masks for children to paint on while telling them legends about
the lion. Slowly he was able to attract the attention of the children’s parents
and spread the word to inform the community. He also teaches how to make life
sized lion masks at the Wanhua Community College, hoping to pass on the skills
he learnt from his master.
There
are certain features of lion masks such as the three “mountains”, the mouth and
the bagua symbol. The three “mountains” are the three bumps on the lion’s face
including the forehead, the nose and the chin. The four corners of the mouth
represent the oceans and the bagua symbol is to fight away demons.
Different
explanations are told about the origin of the lion but the one he told us was
that one evening the empress dreamed of the lion and drew it out. Then she
ordered her servants to find the creature and they found the lion in the wild.
Lion dance used to be a spectacle enjoyed exclusively in the Chinese emperor’s
palace but slowly become a part of the local peoples’ lives.
So
next time you see the lion dance, pay more attention and give thanks to those
who are carrying on this tradition.
