The Feast of The Gods: A Study on Sigang’s Incense-Serving in Tainan

• Main Authors: Bing-Shu Cai, 蔡秉書
• Other Authors: Heng-An Su
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/4tbsfy

碩士 === 國立高雄餐旅大學 === 台灣飲食文化產業研究所 === 102 === The Plague Offering in Xi-kang, included in the Important National Culture Heritage by the Council for Culture Affairs in 2009, has been called “Wang Chuanji” over the past years when the trend of the religious tourism started to revive. The Xi-kang Plague Offering is a tradition more than 200 years old. It comes with local characteristics and has integrated religious beliefs, worship etiquette, and the folk performance. With the Royal Lords’ inspection, the Wang-yei-feasting, and the Royal Boat Sending ritual, people reach their main purpose of Plague Offering, that is, to get rid of pestilence and purify the place. However, due to the impaction of tourist secularization, there are more and more pilgrims only immerse in the hustle atmosphere rather than focus on the true intention in the ceremony. The study thus intends to examine the Plague Offering ritual and its Wang-yie-feasting to clarify the religious meanings, which has been more and more tourist-oriented. It is the folk culture to request the reward through the ritual of offering oblations. Therefore, the Plague Offering ritual is full of rich culture significance. The research finds that the ritual which requests for the reward by offering sacrifices is a representation of civic culture. Through holding the feast of the gods, people can preserve and pass down the ritual of sacrifice. In addition, the ritual also makes the relation between people, nature, and community keep circulating to be a balance condition by being held every three years. And the ritual gives the culture meanings to the sacrifice to convey the relation and requirements between people and spirits. As a result, the ritual of sacrifice in the Wang boat’s ceremony is equipped with bountiful culture meaning.