Taiwan’s Version of the Torii Garden Festival – Monsters Appear in Guanziling as Mountain Carts Parade Through the Streets

By MOOK Travel Life Network, Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

 

The Fire King has arrived! The grand finale of the “Romantic Siraya – Summer of Love” series, the “Fire King Festival,” will take place on August 11th in Guanziling, Baihe District. The Siraya National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, stated that the “Fire King Festival” blends Taiwanese and Japanese festival cultures. It not only features Taiwan’s first-ever mountain cart parade comparable to Narita’s Torii Garden Festival, but also includes a monster street carnival, a creative costume ball, and live performances by bands and dance troupes.

Guanziling is most famous for its mud hot springs, and the guardian deity of these springs is actually the Fire King. Hu Boxiong, chairman of the Guanziling Fire King Temple Management Committee, explained that the Fire King worshipped in Guanziling is not the traditional Fire God (Huode Xingjun) from Taiwanese folk beliefs, but rather the “Central Acala” from Kyushu, Japan. Acala is an incarnation of Vairocana and is regarded as the central figure among the Five Wisdom Kings (guardian deities) in Esoteric Buddhism, and the foremost of the Eight Great Wisdom Kings. In 1902, when the Japanese developed the Guanziling hot springs, they enshrined Acala above the hot spring source to pray for safety, and later raised funds to build a temple. Every year, hot spring operators draw lots to select a “furnace master” to conduct rituals, ensuring the continuous flow of the springs. Thus, the “Fire King” can be considered the guardian deity of Guanziling’s hot springs.

 

The “Fire King Festival” event will take place from 5 PM to 9 PM on August 11th. Activities include a mountain cart parade and monster street carnival from 5 PM to 6:30 PM at Baquan Bridge Hot Spring Park in Guanziling. The public can unleash their creativity by dressing up as their envisioned Fire King or in various monster-themed costumes to join the parade and carnival. Street performers will also be on-site to entertain the crowd and elevate the festive atmosphere. This will be followed by a creative costume ball and live performances by bands and dance troupes from 7 PM to 9 PM, transforming the venue into an outdoor pub with dazzling sound and light effects.

On the day of the mountain cart parade, from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, there will be full road closures along the section from Hongye Tunnel Entrance to Guanling Church. Vehicle access is prohibited. Small cars may detour via Cukeng Road toward Dongshan, while large vehicles can use County Highway 172B to reach Guanziling. For details, please visit the official website: www.siraya-nsa.gov.tw.

 

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