The celebration of the birthday of Lord Guan is considered by locals as important as the Lunar New Year
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/08/04
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter
The temple parade to celebrate the birthday of the Lord Guan in the Pu Ji Temple kicks off on August 4 (By Taiwan News)
TAOYUAN (Taiwan News) — The two-day celebration of the birthday of the Taoist deity Lord Guan (關聖帝君) in Daxi District, Taoyuan City, kicked off Saturday with around-the-town parades that drew locals and foreigners alike to the street to enjoy the spectacle and be part of it.
The miaohui (literally a temple event) parade for the birthday of the Lord Guan of the Pu Ji Temple has lasted for over a century and is considered by the Daxi local people as important as the Lunar New Year celebration.
Every June 24 in the lunar calendar and the day before it, the statue of the Lord Guan is carried out by the temple staff to tour around the town, with dozens of ‘Din Tao’ clubs formed by local people giving various performances in dramatic costumes and makeup. Traditional eastern music and fireworks will also join the procession to make the whole event noisy and therefore more festive.
Shortly after the parade began at 1 p.m. on Saturday, however, a sudden shower poured down, dispersing the parade and driving people to rush under a roof. Yet local people said it was the god’s will to clean up the floor and cool down the temperature before the Lord Guan could depart from the Pu Ji Temple. [FULL STORY]
