Written/Compiled and Reported by Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel Life Network
The three-yearly “Welcoming the King for Peace” festival hosted by Xizhou Taidi Temple in Nanzhou Township, Pingtung County, commenced with the “Inviting the King” ceremony on the morning of the 26th at the beach in Qifeng Village, Linbian Township. The venue was filled with numerous god palanquins, performance troupes, and devotees, officially kicking off the six-day event. This is also the last religious and cultural celebration in the "2012 Pingtung King Craze" series, following Donggang Donglong Temple and Xiaoliuqiu Sanlong Temple — the Welcoming the King for Peace Festival at Xizhou Taidi Temple in Nanzhou Township.
Nanzhou Township’s Welcoming the King Festival held the “Inviting the King” ceremony by the sea today, with the entire celebration running through Saturday. (Photo provided by Pingtung County Government)
Starting at 7 a.m., nearly a hundred god palanquins and performance troupes from temples across Nanzhou Township and nearby areas successively gathered at Qifeng Beach. Although yesterday was not a holiday, the beach and surrounding open spaces were crowded with a large number of believers and tourists. Some overseas locals even took leave to return and join this once-every-three-years local event. After Taoist priests conducted a ritual to invite the deities and bless the royal decree, the palanquin bearers entered a trance, holding the leading divining sticks and slowly stepping into the sea to respectfully invite the King’s presence. Eventually, the Great Thousand-Year King descended into the body of a bearer surnamed Wu — the first such descent during the 17th Welcoming the King Festival in Nanzhou. After confirmation by the ceremony officials, it was announced that the Great Thousand-Year King had arrived, and cannons were fired to proclaim the news to the world, completing the “Inviting the King” ceremony.
Nanzhou Township’s Welcoming the King Festival is Pingtung’s final such event this year. (Photo provided by Pingtung County Government)
From the 27th to the 29th, the King’s divine tour will take place, with processions each morning starting at 7 a.m. On the 27th, the route includes Qizhou Village, Xinan Village, Renli Village, Xibei Village, Yuangliao Village in Dingsiang, Nanwang’an, Youche Village, and Luojiazhuang · Fanzicuo. On the 28th: Mi Village, Tong’an Village, Nan’an Village, and Shouyuan Village. On the 29th: Dapu Community, Linbian Township’s An’an Village, Nanzhou Township’s Wanhua Village, and Qikuai Village.
Starting in the afternoon on the 30th, ceremonies and processions for the King’s Boat Festival will be held. Nanzhou Junior High School’s drum and lion dance team will also join the King’s Boat procession. In the evening, the “King’s Boat Exorcism and Peace Blessing Ceremony” and the “Crossing the Dragon-Tiger Peace Bridge with Thirty-Six Green Knife Alley Fortune-Changing Ceremony” will be conducted at the Taidi Temple plaza. The grand finale on December 1st will feature the burning of the King’s Boat at Qifeng Beach to bid farewell to the Divine King on his patrol — expected to draw yet another wave of crowds. For more details, please visit the Pingtung King Craze website: www.pthg.gov.tw/cyw/index.html.
● Extended Reading: Liuqiu’s Welcoming the King Festival Begins Nov. 2 with Over 40 Fishing Boats Parading the Island
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