Fenxiang (分香), literally the incense division, is a term that defines both hierarchical networks of
temples
A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
dedicated to a particular
Deity or Deities in
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion comprises a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. This includes the veneration of ''Shen (Chinese folk religion), shen'' ('spirits') and Chinese ancestor worship, ances ...
, and the ritual process by which these networks form.
Networks
Networks of affiliated temples dedicated to the cult of a specific
God or Deity can proliferate extensively. These networks are economic and social bodies, and in certain moments of history have even taken military functions. They also represent routes of
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
, with communities of devotees from the affiliated temples going up in the hierarchy to the senior temple. One notable example will
Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage
The Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage () is usually held annually between lunar January and April in the western plains of Taiwan, a major Taoist religious event since 1863. After every lunar new year, the Mazu statue of Gongtian Temple () at Baishatun, ...
in Taiwan.
Ritual of creation of a new temple
When a new temple dedicated to the same Deity is founded, it enters the sacred network through the ritual of division of incense. This consists in filling the incense burner of the new temple with ashes brought from the incense burner of an existing temple. The new temple is therefore spiritually affiliated to the older existing temple, and back in the hierarchy to the first temple dedicated to the Deity.
See also
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Jingxiang
( zh, c=敬香, tr=offering incense with respect), (), (), is a ritual of offering joss stick, incense accompanied by tea and or fruits in Chinese traditional religion. In Chinese ancestral religion, ancestral religious worship it is called ...
, incense worship
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Miaohui
Miaohui ( zh, t=廟會, s=庙会, l=temple gatherings, tr=temple fairs), also called , are China, Chinese religion, religious gatherings held by Miao shrines for the worship of the Chinese folk religion, Chinese gods and immortals. Large-scale ...
, temple gathering
Footnotes
References
Sources
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Chinese folk religion
Taoist priesthood
Taoist temples
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