Tainan Taoist Procession: Gods in the Streets
Arriving in TaiNan
Away from all the tourist sites, such as the Fort Portuguese Provincia and the bustling night markets, lies the true spirit of Taiwan.
If one were to stay on the well-lit roads, following the typical tourist trail, you would be sure to miss out on the chance to step into a world of gods and demons. Down the dark alleyways of Tainan, drums and trumpets reverberate off of the walls. The lights beckon passersby to take a journey off of the beaten path.
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Prayers Before the Procession
Devotees wearing full facial makeup and fangs lazily take took drags off of their cigarettes. These guardians of hell await the call to begin the procession from shrine to shrine, making the birthday of the god of XiLuoDian (西羅殿). A mass of Taoists in matching white t-shirts and baseball caps bow before the idols, incense burning in hand.
Elderly women watch on, sharing stories of the healing powers of the spirits. Thanks to their prayers cancer has been cured, families reunited, and debts paid. Whether or not the gods have actually answered their payers is up to speculation, but the true gods are in the hearts of the Taiwanese people.
Not far from Tainan, you can find the largest temple in all of Taiwan: Fo Guang Shan Monastery!
Gods in the Streets
The drumming began to intensify and the trumpets blared. Various organizations, musicians, and temples gathered in a parade to march to the temple where the god was celebrating his anniversary. The demons danced with their fans, gigantic wooden puppets spun in circles, motorcycles revved their engines, even go-go dancers shook to techno beats.
The procession left the narrow alleyway and made its way to the main streets of Tainan. Onlookers and tourists looked on in awe as if the characters from a book of fairy tales had come to life and were dancing on the road.
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Paying your Respects
It is not enough to just march from one shrine to the next, each deity and performer must pay their respects to the gods housed in the shrines passed on the way. One by one each group would dance, chant, and perform music to please the nearby spirits and then carry on with the journey to the final temple.
These shrines can be easily overlooked when walking down the crowded streets of Tainan, but for a few minutes, these lonely deities got the performance fit for a god.
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The Spirit Medium
Fireworks lit up the night sky as the first of the procession came into sight of the shrine on Wusheng road (武聖路). Each group of the devotees was met by the bloody face of a spirit medium, bashing his own head with a spiked club. Incense was blown into the shaman’s face and the body of the mortal man came under the control of a god. As the blood trickled down his body, he stood at attention, judging each group of the procession.
The musicians played as best and loud as they could for the medium, hoping to appease him. The god shook like a beast momentarily before finally allowing the devotees to pray at his temple. The go-go girls were less lucky, the shaman shook his head in disapproval and held up his palm as a sign of refusal. A crowd began to grow around the medium who was still in a trance. Each person then joined in song and bridged the gap between the world of mortals and gods.
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A Lasting Culture
The Chinese have a fast-growing population now reaching the billions, but true Chinese culture has not been preserved among its people. Due to government regulations and modernization, many traditional religious practices have been outlawed or left in the past. Taiwan is one of the few places in the world where you can see the China which has been fantasied in our imaginations. Where gods and mortals join together in the modern city streets.
The procession was organized by YiHanHui (翊漢會）
Videos of the procession can be found here!
