Statue of Chen Fuye
In the Wenzhou area, the beliefs of Chen Fuye are relatively common. The sacrifice activities of Chenfu Temple are an important relic of the immigrant culture in southern Zhejiang. Every year around the Lantern Festival, an annual "swinging of the temple" event is held. The "swinging of the temple" activity is a major activity of traditional folk culture and an important part of the temple festival activities in the past.
The rural people in wenzhou area believed more in Chen Fuye, so a considerable number of Chen Fu Temples (or Chen Fuguan) were built around it, and there were also Yang Chen Guan who were equal to Yang Fuye, and at the same time, the Chen Fuye belief customs were formed. At the ChenFu Temple, the statue of Chen Fuye sits in the center of the main hall, and its main god, Chen Fuye, is Chen Yuanguang, the Holy King of Kaizhang.
Chen Yuanguang (656-711 AD), courtesy name Tingju, was a native of Gwangju. In the second year of the Tang Dynasty (669 AD), the barbaric area between Quanzhou and Chaozhou occurred in the "barbarian howling rebellion", and the Guide general Chen Zheng was ordered to lead more than 5,000 soldiers of the Tang Dynasty with a total of 45 surnames and more than 5,000 people to the south to quell the rebellion. At the same time, Chen Zheng died of illness, and his son Yingyang general Chen Yuanguang attacked his father's post and led his troops to quell the chaos. Later, Chen Yuanguang went to the imperial court and set up a prefecture in this barbaric land, called "Zhangzhou", as the first assassin. In the second year of Jingyun (711 AD), Chen Yuanguang was martyred in a conquest, and posterity remembered his exploits and set up a temple to commemorate it. In the second year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1112), Chen Yuanguang Temple was named "Weihui Temple". In the future, all the ancestors who migrated from Zhangzhou set up temples and sacrifices in the later places of residence.
Because of Chen Yuanguang's contribution to the development of Zhangzhou, he was widely believed by all parts of Zhangzhou Prefecture, and was honored as the Holy King of Kaizhang, also known as the Holy King, the Holy Prince, and the Chen Saint King, and there are many temples around the world to commemorate the general who was upgraded from "man" to "god". In Zhangzhou and Xiamen, almost every county has a "Kaizhang Shengwang" temple, with Zhangzhou having the most. There are about 102 in the county. There are also many "Kaizhang Shengwang" temples in Taiwan, in addition to Chaoshan in Guangdong and southern Zhejiang, there are also many "Kaizhang Shengwang" temples (it is understood that there are hundreds of "Chenfu Temples" in Wenzhou, Ruian, Pingyang, Yuhuan, Dongtou and other places, and there are more than 20 "Chenfu Temples" in Dongtou County with a population of more than 100,000 alone).
Chen Yuanguang's prestige in folk beliefs is very high, and the sacrifices of officials and people to him have never stopped. The Song people said: "The spirit obeys the king of Zhaolie Guangji, the temple eats in Zhangzhang, hundreds of years, and the blood sacrifice has not tasted a day." During the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, local governments also included Chen Yuanguang in government sacrifices. Most of the ancestors from all over Wenzhou migrated from southern Fujian, and they brought Chen Yuanguang, the most influential believer in southern Fujian, to Wenzhou. It is said that the fifteenth day of february in the lunar calendar is Chen Yuanguang's birthday; April 14 is the anniversary of his canonization; The fifth day of the first month of November is his death day. On these festivals, temples should hold rotating sacrifice activities to push the activities of Faith Chen Yuanguang to a climax, which directly affects all localities.
The sacrifice activities of Chenfu Temple are an important relic of the immigrant culture in southern Zhejiang. Every year around the Lantern Festival, an annual "swinging of the temple" event is held. The "swinging of the temple" activity is a major activity of traditional folk culture and an important part of the temple festival activities in the past.
Pendulum pig
Regarding the breeding of "pendulum pigs" is as follows, after the Lantern Festival determines the head of the pig household. The head of the household has to choose a more satisfactory piglet to raise. As the saying goes, "respecting pigs is like respecting Gods", which refers to the situation of raising "sacred pigs". Before the "swing hall", the "sacred pig" should be dressed up. After the "sacred pig" is slaughtered, it must be dressed up before it can be carried to the temple to worship the gods. First use boiling water to blanch the pig's hair, except for leaving a piece of pig hair about twenty centimeters long behind the pig's neck and the pig hair on the tail that does not move, the other parts of the pig hair are shaved very clean. After the caesarean section of the sacred pig, the liver, lungs and heart are hung under the neck of the pig. Then hang "gold earrings" (gold paper tied around the strip) on the pig's ears and "gold necklaces" (the same as the earring material) on the pig's neck. The pig's mouth is also tightly stuffed with a grapefruit, which means "great luck". The grapefruit is topped with incense and candles.
These offerings are placed on red eight immortal tables, reinforced with ropes between the offerings and tables, and then carried by special "palanquin bars" at each table. Heavier pigs, carried by four young adults, sometimes supported by others or swapped on the way; Other tables containing lighter offerings were carried by two people. After the team was assembled, the band opened the way, twenty or thirty young and energetic young adults, picking up the sacrifices of thirteen tables, patrolling the streets and then arriving at the ChenFu Temple, the people's self-organized team was orderly, along the way the cannons played music, very lively.
In the past, Chen Fu Temple also had to do a big drama before and after the Lantern Festival, some for five days, some for seven days, and at least three days. There are all kinds of lanterns hanging in the temple, and all the couples who have no heirs will have to go to the Chen Mansion Temple to pick up a lantern ball and go home on the fifteenth day of the first month. If they had a son that year, next year's Lantern Festival would have come here to make a wish. During the sacrifice, pigs are slaughtered every year. Those who made a wish here in the previous year will come to return the wish. If a businessman who does big business has made more wishes in the previous year, he will pay back more. Although the scale of The faith and customs of Wenzhou Chen Fuye is not as good as that of Zhangzhou in southern Fujian, it is unique and has its own characteristics. The spontaneous belief and custom of Chen Fuye is a folk cultural activity to celebrate the abundance of grains, the prosperity of six animals, and the prayer for peace.
The legend of Chen Fuye that spreads in Wenzhou Yongqiang:
1. The Holy King of Chen Province, who studied at Hongzhou At an early age. During the reign of Ming Jiajing, the Wukou were rampant, and because of the merits of pingwu, the Jiajing Emperor was enfeoffed as the Holy King of Chenfu, who protected the country and the people. Kunzhong eight people, ranked eighth, also known as Chen Eight King. The temple is located at Jiujia Pass, XiaYuan Street. Since the establishment of the temple, it has shown great magic and blessed all the people. Zhang Mou, the east gate of the old city of Xiayao Street, is doing business in Taiwan, because he wants to go home for the New Year, and there is no boat to cross. It was the twenty-eighth night of the lunar month of the year, when someone called him by name and asked him if he wanted to take the boat, Zhang Mou was very happy, and he got on the boat in the haze. Raise the anchor and sail, only to hear the wind in your ears. Suddenly the wind stopped the ship stopped, someone told him to go ashore, trance got off the boat, it was the east gate of the old city, the next morning, I felt strange, remembered that the umbrella fell on the boat, to jiujiaguan Chen Fu temple a look, the umbrella is indeed on the god ship, explore the bottom of the ship, the water stains are still there. Zhang Mou used this matter to spread the word, everyone knows. In addition, Zhang Mou transported sugar from Taiwan to Wenzhou to sell, the ship to the East Hainan Long Island, encountered two thieves ship robbery, suddenly felt helpless. Suddenly, a large double-sailed ship came speeding in. The thief panicked and kept his peace; Looking at this big ship, riding the wind and waves towards the direction of the old city of Xiayuan Street, it flew straight up the shoal, and suddenly disappeared. Later generations have legends, the people admire, and the incense is exuberant.
Second, because of the Yongxing Street Wuxi Village, initially moved from Pingyang and other places, the number of people is not much, only Yu, Shi, Zhou, Wu, Ye, Dong and other households. Legend has it that an old man surnamed Yu had no land and had to rely on Zhang Nitang to fish for his livelihood. One day when the tide rose, it was already dark, and Old Han Yu slept in a rest pavilion made of thatched bamboo, and in the haze he suddenly saw an old man of charity wandering on a mud pond. When he collected his fishing bag and went home after the tide, he saw a statue of a god on the mud pond, and Old Han Yu ignored it. At three o'clock that night, I dreamed of the benevolent old man and said: I am the Holy King of ChenFu in Minzhong Province, and I see that this place in Wuxi is a place where people are brilliant and have great prospects, so I have built a temple. When Yu Laohan woke up, he didn't see the old man. The next day, just after dawn, Yu Laohan immediately invited Elders surnamed Shi, Zhou, Wu, Ye, and Dong to explain the matter. In the morning, the people came to Haitu with Yu Laohan, and the vivid statue of the god was still sitting on the mud pond. The old man moved the idol to the place, invited Mr. Feng Shui, and selected the god base; Raising funds, the land was moved on a chosen day, and five main halls, two rooms on both sides, and the ChenFu Temple with a stage in front of it were initially built. At that time, the local area was too peaceful, the grain was abundant, the heart was successful, the number of people soared, and more and more people moved from all over the place. The Chenfu Temple was full of incense for a while. It is also said that the Holy King of Chen Fu repeatedly performed miracles to save the people.
Dongtou Chenfu Temple