The procession of the Goddess of Mercy Temple in Luermen showcases the skills of 11 local ceremonial troupes

By Chen Guanxin, compiled and reported

The series of events for Tainan’s Incense Offering Festival continues. The authentic Luermen Goddess of Mercy Temple officially began its three-yearly incense ceremony (also known as the Incense Pilgrimage or Yiexiang) and procession on April 7. The event will take place from April 7 to 9, covering the temple’s 11 jurisdictional areas, each of which features unique folk ceremonial troupes—both martial and civil—such as the Centipede Formation, Golden Lion Formation, White Crane Formation, Songjiang Formation, and the Eight Generals. These will take turns showcasing their skills during the event.

“Yiexiang,” also known as “Gexiang,” refers to the act of receiving sacred incense from the deities. It is the term used in southwestern coastal regions for the procession activity and is different from “Jinxiang,” which implies a pilgrimage and should not be confused. The authentic Luermen Goddess of Mercy Temple, formerly known as Bao’an Temple, has independently organized the Yiexiang event since 1961, also referred to as the Tucheng Incense or Tuchengzi Incense. The Tucheng Incense is held once every three years, during which the temple’s ceremonial boat is brought out in front of the temple to receive worshippers’ prayers. Although the ceremonial boat is seen in other Wangye (Royal Lord) ceremonies, it is only worshipped here and not sent off. After the Yiexiang rituals are completed, the boat is returned to the temple for enshrinement, unlike similar practices in other regions.

The 2012 Tainan Incense Offering Festival events involved seven temples: Luermen Tianhou Temple, Anding Suchu Zhenhu Temple, Anding Suchu Changxing Temple, Xuejia Ciji Temple, Luermen Goddess of Mercy Temple, Madou Dafotian Temple, and Xigang Qing’an Temple. A series of activities were held between March and May, including processions and Yiexiang ceremonies by Madou Dafotian Temple on April 13 and Xigang Qing’an Temple on May 3.

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