Live Chat｜Da Shi Ye Temple Festival

A few days ago, I heard a friend of Minxiong people say: "This year's Da Shi Ye Temple Festival will debut this Thursday!"

I just remembered that I haven't visited the Dashi Ye Temple for many years.

The Da Shi Ye Temple Festival is a major event in Minxiong, and this temple is also the center of local beliefs in Minxiong. Every summer, a large temple fair is held for three consecutive days. The whole Minxiong is like entering a crazy party-like atmosphere.

I seldom stayed in Chiayi during the summer vacation during my college years. It was an eye-opener for me to stay here for a year.

Small vendors fill the entire city center of Minxiong, and the roads in the middle are closed at night, and everyone walks on the street, like a large night market for three days and three nights in a row (open until nearly midnight, and continue to set up stalls in the afternoon after a break in the morning. ), it is completely a large-scale temple fair. (But it's annoying when you don't want to participate, because foraging is very difficult)

In recent years, it has also been suspended due to the epidemic. Last year, it was finally reopened, but it was also stopped because of concerns about the epidemic.

This year, I think that the same is true for the left and right sides. The last time I participated was a few years before the epidemic. Tonight, before the temple fair started, I will show you Minxiong before the festival "now".

Walking into the city, you can see the red lanterns of the temple fair along the road, which have filled the entire street.

The whole extends to the city center and periphery. However, this area is not yet the scope of the festival, it is only the outer periphery , and it is already very atmosphere.

Every year, people from Minxiong, or students who come to study in Minxiong, are looking forward to this large-scale celebration, so everyone is very excited to chat, and the friend I mentioned is also very excited, and has already planned to buy special purchases here.

Since I have participated a few times, I probably know where the control scope will be at that time. At that time, there will be thousands of people drilling in the urban area, and all of them will be full of people. When I attended before the pandemic, I could even feel breathless, but everyone enjoyed it.

I don't know if anything has changed since the pandemic.

About a week before the festival, the temporary arches in the picture above will be arranged around Minxiong Street . The one I photographed is the one closest to the main festival area, and there will be several outside the city, which is very festive.

The archway can be seen far away on the street. This street is usually the one with the most hawkers, and it will also be the most crowded area at that time (but in fact, the entire Minxiong is full at that time). In the past, I will show you the main sacrifice area and the front of the temple.

The camera turns to the left and is the main priest area. (The following figure)

In fact, the Dashiye Temple Festival began a long time before the temple fair, because the Dashiye himself did not have a statue, but at this time of the year, he would make a statue out of paper and burn it on the last day of the festival to symbolize the drive away.

Therefore, there are many ceremonies and rituals to be done before and after the temple fair, but I am not an expert on folk beliefs, and even though I have lived in Minxiong for ten years, I am not a local person, so many stories and beliefs still dare not I will talk nonsense with everyone here, and friends who are clear are welcome to add or correct suggestions in the message area.

Some people have listed the Minxiong Da Shi Ye Temple Festival as one of the four major festivals in the seventh month of the Taiwan lunar calendar. I have lived here for so long, because I hate the harsh sound of firecrackers and fireworks explosions, so I have always been afraid of large gatherings of festivals. It's a pity that I didn't have the opportunity to get to know each other well. It's a pity.

This is the main festival venue. The shed above is still left during the temple fair, and there will be many vendors below. All the way to the main stage of the event.

It's a super-long shed. Fortunately, you can ride a bicycle at this time and quickly pass the place where people will be crowded a few days later.

The other side of the tunnel is the main stage.

The last time I came to participate, there would be performances by children from nearby elementary schools, local groups would also be invited to perform, and there would even be a lottery event, which was very lively. There's always a host here talking loudly with a microphone.

But in fact, everyone is more interested in the surrounding vendors, so it is lively on the stage, and the audience is also lively off the stage. The interesting scenes of each are wonderful, and everyone will come back to their senses after the lottery.

How do you say it looks like a tail tooth!

Passing by the Dashiye Temple, the paper statue should have been safely in the temple at this time.

Today (16th) night, a movie is being broadcast across the temple for the gods to watch.

It's a pity that the front of the temple is blocked by a shed. Every time I pass by, I feel that the front is very beautiful, but unfortunately I can't take pictures today.

On the Internet, there are videos of the daytime aerial filming of the temple before the festival. The building that has not yet erected a shed is really beautiful, and the installation art of the entire row of colored umbrellas next to it is also photographed.

Those who are interested can move to watch.

In front of the temple, you can see many flower pots and wreaths in front, and many people are preparing for the ceremony.

There is also an installation art of a colorful umbrella promenade next to the Dashiye Temple. It was only available this year. It is also related to the "common name" of the Dashiye Temple Fair by the local people. It can be regarded as an official complaint.

The whole row of umbrellas promenade.

But why is the temple fair related to umbrellas?

In fact, I don’t know when it started. The temple fairs of the Da Shi Ye Temple always gather merchants who sell umbrellas from all over the world. On the last day, a bloody slaughter was made.

So Minxiong people will ask each other before the festival: "How many umbrellas are you going to buy this year?"
Or when someone loses or breaks their umbrella, they will say, "The Da Shi Ye Temple Festival is coming soon, you can hold on for a while."

Every year, I take advantage of this time to buy a bunch of cheap and special umbrellas, and buying umbrellas has become another special culture when everyone mentions the Da Shi Ye Temple festival. , because the third day will be a big discount!

I didn't know this practice when I went there a few years ago, and I bought it on the first day stupidly, and only when I got home did I realize that I had suffered a big loss.

The entire corridor on the right side of the temple is covered with umbrellas, which also meets everyone's expectations for the festival.

It can be regarded as a response of the temple to this subculture!

At least my friend Minxiong laughed when he saw it, and immediately got the meaning of this installation art.

As for the origin of this umbrella-buying culture, there seem to be different opinions.

My own impression is that because the Da Shi Ye Temple festivals are held in rainy summer, and Minxiong will have thunderstorms in the afternoon from time to time, even at night, there is a chance of rain, if it rains temporarily, everyone may What should I do if I forgot my umbrella in the car, or did not bring an umbrella at all, but I got caught in the crowd?

Merchants can take the opportunity to sell great deals! Umbrella merchants have also begun to gather, and there are some examples, and there are even stalls specializing in umbrellas. So this special culture was born.

Sure enough, demand drives the economy and culture!

Of course it's unknown at the time if that started, but that's the story I've heard.

After getting on the car and leaving the temple, when the motorcycle was out of the city, I saw that the vendors couldn't wait to start setting up their stalls.

The whole row of bright white bulbs illuminated the streets of Minxiong as if it were daytime. It was completely different from the quiet atmosphere at night. I already felt the atmosphere of the festival!

Bypassing the relatively quiet Minxiong street before the festival, I also felt that the joyous atmosphere of the festival was pervading. Today, I made up my mind to come around and share with you the Minxiong before the large festival. I also began to look forward to this year's Tuas Ye Temple. Festival!

Here is a newsreel of last year 's Da Shi Ye Temple Festival, and you can also see the paper-pasted golden body of the Da Shi Ye, as well as the ceremony and cremation process.

I want to participate this year too! I want to see the ceremony of cremation of the golden body.

After all, I have lived here for more than ten years, and I have never even watched it. I hope that this year's Dashiye Temple Festival will allow me to experience this special folk culture.

Friends are also welcome to arrange a visit to Minxiong on 8/18-20 . You can experience the most lively Minxiong in Chiayi, feel the joy and solemnity of the festival, and bring an umbrella home by the way to experience this large-scale event that is only once a year.

If I participate this year, I will take pictures and share them with you~~😉

According to the official facebook of Da Shi Ye Temple:

 On August 18th at 4:30am, the light and eyes will be opened, and the main hall will be officially installed. On August 18th, at 6:00am, the prayer group will be worshipped. The meeting will be complete, and I congratulate the master to be cremated and ascend to heaven

The above is provided to friends who want to watch the ceremony to arrange their own itinerary. The relevant content is mainly based on the official website announcement of the organizer. If you are interested, you can click the link to move to the social media website to check.