Taiwan’s most popular deity is the sea goddess Mazu (often spelled Matsu). The Old Man icon in Mengjia Longshan Temple is a favourite among Taipei’s twenty- and thirtysomethings. Statues of this minor god, who works to connect each person with the man or woman he or she is destined to love, are usually small, and show a smiling, white-bearded man in traditional dress holding a staff. The fertility goddess Zhusheng Niangniang is one women pray to her when they’re hoping to conceive, or when they’re already pregnant and hope for her protection, or want a baby of a specific gender (usually male, as traditionally-minded families still prefer sons to daughters). There are other deities which appear in a great many temples, but almost always in a subsidiary role. For this reason, relatives of the recently deceased offer prayers and incense to him in places like Tainan’s Dongyue Temple. Unlike Christianity’s Satan, rather than revel in the torment of those condemned to punishment in the afterlife, he endeavors to help those who find themselves in purgatory. Another is Dizangwang, a Buddhist bodhisattva said to be the king of hell. Mid-ranking gods include Baosheng Dadi, the principal deity in Taipei’s fabulous Dalongdong Baoan Temple. The third group comprises hundreds of spirits who, it’s feared, will spread disease and misfortune if not satisfied with frequent offerings Wang Ye are the centre of attention during Donggang’s boat-burning celebration. The first two protect specific places – parts of the countryside or small neighbourhoods in the case of land gods, much larger settlements in the case of city gods. Major categories of folk deities include land gods, town and city gods and Wang Ye. Almost every god, even those like the Jade Emperor who are believed to have been around for eternity, have birthdays which their devotees celebrate with gusto. In at least two temples in Taiwan, sacrifices are made to icons of Chiang Kai-shek, who only died in 1975 and who considered himself a fervent Christian. Many were once mere mortals on Earth most of those posthumously elevated to godhood – but not all – lived in the distant past. Among the supernatural entities worshipped in the country are some who might more accurately be thought of as saints, demons or simply ghosts.
A completely honorary position, but extremely well-regarded.įinally, Guan Yu is also worshiped as a God of Literature - because he managed to read a whole page of Confucius without going cross-eyed.No one knows exactly how many gods and goddesses there are in the Taiwanese pantheon, and not just because they are so numerous (a figure of ‘around 36,000’ appears in a few books).
Quickly learning the Five Precepts, he became a Buddhist, reached Enlightenment, and now devotes the rest of his Immortality to defending the faith. Which was only natural under the circumstances. Legend tells that after he died, Guan Yu appeared before a meditating Master of Buddhism and asked for spiritual guidance. For his bravery, and because he died defending legal issues, he also became the patron God of Police Officers. Loyal Guan Yu knew that changing sides during a war was not only immoral but also against the Law. Guan Yu not only refused, he uttered a terrible insult which made even the soldiers blush. When he was finally captured, Guan Yu was told by Wu, the evil new Emperor, to change sides or face death. (Just as well Solitaire is a one-handed game.) To the incredulity of on-lookers, he calmly sat playing Solitaire while field surgeons did excruciating things to his tendons. In one famous tale, his arm was damaged in battle and needed surgery. (Surely you’ve heard of Kung Few?) But his bravery is legendary. A peace-loving deity, he tries to minimize every battle he’s in. Unusually for a God of War, he uses his skill to avoid confrontations if at all possible. As told in Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, he started life as a mortal vendor of soya bean curd (see To-fu).īut after a heroic incident involving the rescue of a harassed lady and the killing of a tax inspector, he got the taste for battle and embarked on a famous military career with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, becoming one of the Three Brothers of the Peach Orchard. He is a Daoist deity who is also well thought of by Buddhists.
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