top of page

Temple fairs

     The origin of the Taiwanese temple fair (“Miao Hui” in Chinese) dates back to the tradition of the ancestral temple, a place where people worshiped their ancestors. At that time, in order to pray for God’s blessing and good luck, people would perform spectacular dances to make the temple fair more lively.

Nowadays, when you visit a temple fair in Taiwan, the first thing you may notice is a long procession on the street. Later, you will see the appearance of a big dragon and lion as performers grouped into teams carry them on long poles. It will certainly catch your eye. Apart from dragon and lion dances, you definitely cannot miss the parade formations (陣頭), where you will see many Holy Generals (神將), such as Qi Ye and Ba Ye (七爺八爺), The Eight Police Officers of the Dead World (八家將), etc., walking down the street.


     Later you will hear the sounds of gongs and drums. These are used to make the Gods joyful and happy. You will also see many followers carrying god sedans down the street. Meanwhile, a group of adherents and other spectators will stand along the street anxiously awaiting the god’s arrival. Some of them lay out tables of offerings and hold incense while saying prayers to the Gods. When the Gods pass by, they start burning paper money to thank them for their blessing. As the air fills with the sound of exploding firecrackers, people’s emotions begin to run high. When the sedans finally show up, some followers will “crawl under the sedan” (鑽轎子) in order to get closer to the Gods.


     In Taiwan, the activities for temple fairs vary from area to area according to the different religious beliefs. Generally speaking, activities for temple fairs in Taiwan can be divided into three parts. In northern Taiwan, the most well-known are the Dalongdong Baoan Temple Fair (大龍峒保安宮廟會) and Zushi-Gong's Birthday(三峽祖師廟清水祖師誕辰). As for central Taiwan, the most distinguished one is Da Jia Mazu Pilgrimage (大甲媽遶境進香活動). Tong Gang King Ship Festival (東港王船祭) is a popular festival celebrated by people in southern Taiwan.


     If you get a chance to visit a temple fair, here are some tips that you need to keep in mind. First of all, don’t stand in people’s way because people who carry the God sedans or The Eight Police Officers of the Dead World will enter different temples when they pass by. Therefore, it’s much more polite to make way and let them pass. Second, don’t walk through the parade when they are performing on the street. The third thing you should be aware of is that the date of temple fairs is usually held according to the lunar calendar instead of the solar calendar. It is also more polite to ask whether you can take pictures of the parade in advance. Last but not least, you must be patient while waiting for the Gods to come. During the period of the pilgrimage, the temple is surrounded by many people, which makes it difficult for the parade to pass in and out the temples. As a result, temple fair parades are usually one or two hours behind schedule.

bottom of page