Baoan Tai Da Shen

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Tuck away in a short distance from Lianzhou city is the old village Baoan, where they claim to preserve a traditional festival for more than a 1000 years. The Tai Da Shen Festival is held every year on the 9th day of the Lunar September. The legend said it was granted by the Emperor after one of their great ancestor Wong, who success in reshaped the country when it was falling from corruption, possibly helped by the Supreme Deity(Da Shen) . Wong brought back the same celebration to his home town Baoan and arrived on the the 9th of Lunar September the year 740. and the event kept on until this day only minus the 39 years banned during the culture revolution. Tai Da Shen mean carry the Supreme Deity, it is a festive celebration to honor their ancestors and noble deities. And it was noisy, smell of gun powder and choking smoke, I'd never seen that many fire cracker being ignited in a single festival. The main event is carry the Supreme Deity through the small street around the village, together with all the others Noble and Deity figures, and characters from Chinese history and literature, leading by troops of musician, dragon and lion dance team. Once the Deity figure were safety set on the carrier stand, there will be an intense ritual of waking up the spirit, hundred after hundred of fire cracker threw in like hand grenade, exploding around the still figure of the Noble Deity, the tremendous blasting really did the nasty job to pop your eardrum in an ugly way,,,,.real hurt!!! And the explosion seem never ever end all through the parade. the whole village would end up rolled over with a red carpet of shredded wrapping of the fire cracker. The most interesting scene of the festival are "rock the Deity", the heavy wooden carrier being rock side way by the porters, with the Deity tied rigidly on it, interacted with the crowds hurraying back and fore. Nobody could tell the meaning of this rocking, "we just follow what our ancestor did" was the answer.

Tai Da Shen not just a festival celebration, it also involved the memorize, honor and praise their ancestor. And they need to invited the Supreme Deity to the village's shrine from the nearby Dao Temple early morning on the festival day in order the really start the event. They performing the parade 2 times, morning and afternoon, on the festival day, actually there was one parade the day before, and in my opinion is more interesting as there are less outsider.

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Photos

fire crackers grenade
typical action during the festival

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Tai Da Shen Festival
What a wonderful opportunity to attend this festival. As always your photography tells the real story. Thanks again for sharing.

[curenyige]

glad you like it
by the way...your last entry about the burger festival are great, interesting!