The Qing Shan King Sacrificial Ceremony (青山王祭) is a centuries-old festival that is held annually in Wanhua,

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It is held between the 20th and 22nd of October (based on

Lunar Calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...

) and is meant to celebrate the birthday of the

Deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

, Ling An Zun Wang (靈安尊王) or Qing Shan King (青山王). During this festival, the

Deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

and

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

s of several other temples (including Qingshui Temple) will be invited to visit and attend the celebration within Wanhua District. There will be procession by invited guest Deities and Bodhisattvas in Wanhua neighborhood for two nights, then they will attend the birthday celebration of Qing Shan King. The purpose of procession within Wanhua District is to cleanse and eliminate any evil spirit or unholy presence that might cause or bring bad luck and sufferings to the local community. During this visit, all windows and doors must be shut to prevent evil spirits from entering the locals’ households. There are three different tour routes, the first route runs from Huan He Road to Zhong Hua Road, the second starts from Wanhua Station and the last route begins from Ting Han Kou Road in Ximending. The parade usually lasts throughout the night and ends around 3 or 4am. Between 2-3 million pieces of a traditional biscuit known as "Xian Guang Bing" are given out during each celebration.

References

Religion in Taipei Buddhist festivals in Taiwan Autumn in Taiwan {{Taiwan-stub