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There is an order to praying to the gods! Give respect to them and good fortune shall be yours.
Enter through the door on the dragon' side and exit through the door on the tiger' side. Once you get the idea on temple etiquette, it's not hard to understand the order in which you pray to the gods. Pay respects to the heavenly furnace first, then proceed to the front hall to pray and save the back of the hall for last.
Statues of gods in Younglian Temple are mainly located in the front hall and the back hall. The statues in the front hall are those of Guanyin the Goddess of Mercy, Shakyamuni Buddha, and the Four Heavenly Kings. The statues in the back hall are those of the Yanping Kong, Jade Emperor, Emperor Wenchang, Heavenly Mother, Goddess of Birth, Yue Lan, and Ksitigarbha.
湧蓮寺(1)_Full HD 1080p_MEDIUM_FR30_(3).mp4A major festival in Yonglian!
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The Goddess of Mercy - Guanyin Festival
Enshrined at the main gate of the front hall of Yonglian Temple, it occupies an important position in the pantheon of gods as well as our ancestors.
The three festivals are on the 19th day of the second month of the lunar calendar, which is celebrates the birth of the goddess; the 19th day of the 6th month, the day of enlightenment, and 19th day of the 9th month, which is the day of Buddha's ordination. On the day of Guanyin’s birthday, the National Assembly of Believers prepares fruit, vegetarian food, and celebrates the her birthday; believers believe this day is the day of "turning over a new leaf." Believers kneel in front of the goddess and pray for blessings as well as relief from disasters, and "replenishment of good fortune." Aside from offering prayers, holding sacrifice rituals, and holding Chinese operas to celebrate, the gods are given a grand welcome one day before the actual festival. Taiwanese operas are used to reward the gods, and there will be a grand welcoming to the gods one day in advance. The 18th day of the 9th month is considered Luzhou's major religious celebration, where Mazu goes aorund town giving blessions of peace, and the is a "sweeping" ceremony to ward off evil spirits.
The Golden Guanyin - Blessing Ceremony
Made of pure gold, hence the name, the golden Guanyin is enshrined in the Hall of Three Treasures, surrounded by bulletproof glass.
The consecration and blessing ceremony was held for three consecutive days starting from 17th day of the ninth month in the lunar calendar of 2016. The hall was opened to worship on the third day, with worshippers praying for peace and prosperity. After worshiping at Yonglian Temple, the believers whose prayers were answered made offerings of gold to pay back, showing their respect and gratitude. The Golden Guanyin was made from those gold offerings.
King of Yanping - Koxinga
Enshrined in the back hall of Yonglian Temple.
Since 1837, building rituals honoring Koxinga are held every three years. Jianjiao starts with the vertical lamp poles symbolizing the recall of Koxinga's soldiers and horses. It is believed that the more soldiers and horses are recalled, the more evil is prevented and disasters averted. Because the locals believe that Luzhou is a place especially favored by Koxinga, there are no specific taboos, but women who are pregnant or have menstruation are not allowed to approach it.
The ceremony is led by lamp master breaking ground. He digs a hole in the ground to bury the cedar lamp in the ground. The base is secured by hemp rope, and then everyone works together to straighten the lamp and golden white paper money will be thrown up in the air. Afterward, a scaffold will be set up below to enshrine Koxinga, the Baosheng emperor, etc. Bells will start ringing to inform everyone and allow people to bring glutinous rice balls to worship.
Festivals inspired by the gods!
Hall of Three Treasures
The Three Treasures are collectively referred to as the Buddhas of Sakyamuni, the Medicine Master, and Amitabha. The 8th day of the 4th month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of Sakyamuni. The Yonglian Temple holds the Bathing Buddha Festival from the 4th through the 8th day of the 4th month of the lunar calendar every year.
Goddess of Birth
When a woman has not been able to get pregnant for many years, she will pray with compassion and get a golden shovel (Taiwanese golden child). When she becomes pregnant, she will pray (fight with the spirits). The shovel will be put by the bedside or in the cabinet, to give birth to a son.
Emperor Wenchang
The third day of the second month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of Emperor Wenchang. When the test season comes, green onions, garlic, celery, radish, rice dumplings, etc. are prepared (these word are homonyms) that mean auspicious things.
Blessing list
The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the "Qi Qiao Festival" and also the "Quixing Christmas". On this day, people can pray for success in the exam and to be on the list.
Wenwu God of Wealth
The festival for the God of Wealth is celebrated on the 22nd day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It is said that this day is the Day of Enlightenment of the True Monarch of Xuantan, may also be the Day of Enlightenment of the True Monarch of Tsengfu, so it is also one of the traditional Chinese festivals.
Special festival!
Zhongyuan Pudu-Water lanterns around the border-the gate to the underworld opens-the water lanterns are released on the 14th day of 7th month on the lunar calendar every year. There are many drummers and water lanterns. The water lanterns will take the spirits to the Pudu ceremony the next day and go aorund the area with the believers. Pray for safety at home and experience traditional cultural activities.
Zhongyuan Pudu Festival -The water lanterns from the day before bring spirits ashore. Yonglian Temple celebrate Zhongyuan Pudu would provide spirits with facilities to refresh themselves and food before guiding the spirits to Nirvana.
Lighting the New Year’s lanterns - you can light the lamps of brightness, for the god of wealth, Wenchange, Medicine Master, marriage, etc., incorporating the prayers of the people.
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