The picture shows the democratic prince of Shuikou, Shuikou, Xiayangwengkeng, Xiayang.
□ Zhang Youzhou Text/Photo
Gongwang and Bogong are the most common gods in the Hakka folk beliefs in western Fujian. They live in remote natural villages with large and small altars under water outlets, bridgeheads, wells, cliffs, and ancient trees. They can be seen everywhere in the mountains, ridges, ravines and ravines. Every natural village in western Fujian has at least one prince and multiple Bogongs, jointly protecting the beautiful villages with dark willows and bright flowers and dancing.
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About the prince, Changting Tufang has a legend about the mountain god changing evil and doing good: Tu Dalang and Lai Balang, who first moved to Tufang, wanted to become relatives of children, but the local mountain god asked the villagers to sacrifice a pair of boys and women every year, and Tulai's children were not spared. In order to save their children, the two went to Lushan to study the Dharma together, and returned to their studies to duel with the mountain god. The mountain god was defeated and fled in panic, and was subdued to the entrance of the village. Out of kindness, Tu and Lai forgive their sins, ordered them to live in Shuikou and be responsible for protecting the country and protecting the people, and asked them to swear that they would no longer sacrifice children, men and women, and the villagers worshipped them with poultry, livestock, fish, shrimps, fruits, etc. Therefore, the mountain god became the guardian god of the village and was changed to be called the prince. The villagers built the altar of the prince in the water mouth; the mountain god changed to evil and good, and its wild mountain god essence was weakened, and the function of the land god who protected the village was strengthened.
Minxi Whether the princes of each Hakka village comes from this is unknown, but it is generally true that there are princes (also called Bogong in some places). In the minds of Hakka people in western Fujian, the prince is one of the omnipotent gods who are most in charge. In addition to praying for the prince to protect the safety of the country, people seek wealth, fame, marriage, children, longevity, family happiness, and peace abroad... Everything seems to be effective. Therefore, in addition to the grand worship of the villagers during the festivals, the villagers should set out and return from a happy family such as getting married, birthday celebrations, getting up a house, moving to a stove, or family members to go to school, working, doing business, etc., and they should buy three or five animals to the altar of the King to worship. Sometimes, when hunting or cutting up the mountain, you have to worship the king. When you return from hunting, you have to use prey to worship the king. Even if you kill a pig at home, you have to use pig heads, pig hearts, etc. as sacrifices to worship the king altar, so that the family will prosper in the coming year. When encountering major god-welcoming competitions such as Chen Dong’s “April 8” and Hukeng’s “ to make a fortune ”, they even invited local princes and gods to tour for the villagers to worship.
The princes in the Hakka villages in western Fujian, except for the princes of Gutian Shangbao Gongwang Temple in Liancheng and Zhongshan, Zhongshan, Yongding 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Bogong
In addition to Bogong, who is regarded as a king at the entrance of the village, Bogong can be seen everywhere in the fields, land, roadside, bridgehead, well, riverside, under big trees, and in front of stone cliffs in Hakka villages in western Fujian. These Bogongs are called Tiantou Bogong, Qiaotou Bogong, Shubogong, Shibogong, etc. according to their location. Even in the uninhabited mountains and gullies, there is Bogong who is in charge of the mountains and rivers. For example, the author's hometown, Xiaoshan Village, , Yongding County, Wengkengmei Natural Village, Xiayang Town, Xiayang Town, there is Sanmao Shibogong, Shiqiao in the north and Shiqiao in the village, and Jingbogong beside the well at the bottom of the mountain in the west of the village. These Bogongs have worships during festivals. In the uninhabited mountains, there are Daping Shang Bogong, Xiaoxiacun Bogong, Zhujiashe Bogong, Lengshuikeng Bogong, Dayuan Wei Bogong, Chigutang Bogong, Shimenao Bogong, etc. These Bo Gong had altars and shrines, and some were only set up altars under stone cliffs or under big trees for incense. Most of these Bogongs don’t have much incense. They only occasionally worship when someone goes into the mountains to cut down, make fields or collect them. People pray for safety in their work or crops to be protected from wild boars, mice, etc. That’s all. Although the Bogongs also act like the princes, they seem to be neglected and idle, and they are happy to be free than the princes who are very broad in charge, have a strong incense and are infinity.
universal god
0 The princes and Bogongs of Hakka villages in western Fujian are actually the fusion of the land god in the traditional Taoist belief of the Chinese nation and the mountain god and the river god in the local indigenous folk beliefs in western Fujian. The legend of Tufang is a good interpretation. It has the function of protecting the land and safeguarding the people, and it also has the function of protecting the local indigenous fishing, hunting, reclamation and collection activities. Later, it also had the omnipotent divine function of blessing people with blessings, longevity, wealth, peace, wealth, birth, old age, sickness and death, etc., and in the minds of western Fujian people, it enjoyed the same important position as the gods such as Buddha, Jade Emperor, Guanyin, and Mazu, and it also seemed closer and more ordinary than these gods.
The prince and Bogong are also the most important gods who follow the Hakka migrants to enter the world. Especially the Hakka people who migrated from their Hakka ancestral land to develop breeding, at the beginning of arduous journeys and opening up the mountains and forests, they had to face the dangerous environment and endure the pain of missing their relatives and homesickness. They hope that God will help God and pray for luck. However, at the beginning of starting a business in another place, people had no financial ability to build temples, nor could they divide the spirits of the temple from the distant original township. Therefore, the easiest way is to find a piece of Feng Shui land in their new residence, either guard the mountain pass, or beside the rocks, or beside ancient trees. To set up a Feng Shui treasure land without dividing the spirits or building a temple, just erect a stone tablet, or build a simple shrine, and hold a simple consecration and sacrifice ceremony.
For example, the Gaotou Jiang family of Yongding, which began to cross the Taiwan Strait in Taipei Sanzhi and other places as early as the "Ming and Zheng" period, established a democratic prince in the local area. It has become quite popular and is even popular in Chiayi, Changhua and other places. In 1745, Zhang Li, Ma Fuchun, a native of Yongding, and Qiu Zhaojin, a native of Taipu, were regarded as Dabogong by immigrants and built temples to sacrifice. They are still regarded as local protectors by local Hakka overseas Chinese.
Source: Fujian West Daily
