The belief of Yue-Lao in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Ming-Jiun Shiau, 蕭名君
• Other Authors: Fu-quan Xu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/45409859675614742726

碩士 === 銘傳大學 === 應用中國文學系碩士班 === 99 === Abstract Yue-Lao, the marriage deity in the Chinese world, carries the book that records fates and marriages and the Red Thread, wielding all the matrimonies. These years Taiwanese are fascinated with Yue-Lao and enshrine him in temples. Yue-Lao has become the consolation to the single, who share their secrets and worries to him. Therefore, the temples that worship Yue-Lao are popular with numerous visitors. This essay focuses on and discusses the belief of Yue-Lao, including its origin, development, and influence upon Taiwan society. The first chapter, foreword, explains the motive and purpose of studying Yue-Lao belief. The next, it orders the worthy research, and interprets the range, methods and limits of the study. In the end, it expounds the framework and content of the article. The second chapter, retracing Yue-Lao belief and its cultural meanings, explains the relationship between matrimony and the society, and the origin and the formation of Yue-Lao belief. And compare Yue-Lao with other marriage deities to seek out the cultural meanings of Yue-Lao belief. The third chapter, the source and the development of Yue-Lao belief in Taiwan, concentrates upon Yue-Lao belief in Taiwan to interpret its origin, birthday, related tales, and the features of the temples worshiping Yue-Lao, to comprehend the development of Yue-Lao belief in Taiwan. The forth chapter, the Yue-Lao image in Taiwanese temples and the festivities and the manners to offer sacrifice of the belief, records Yue-Lao’s spiritual image, explains the functions and cultural meanings of Yue-Lao, takes down the festivities and the manners to offer sacrifice of Yue-Lao belief, to interpret the developments of Yue-Lao belief in Taiwan further. The fifth chapter, the relationship between Yue-Lao belief, people and society----take the Yue-Lao worships in XiaHai city god temple as example, takes the Yue-Lao as the main research object to explain the prosperity of Yue-Lao belief in Taiwan. The sixth chapter, conclusion, summarizes the research results of the all former chapters and bring up the propositions could be further researched in the future.