Introduction to Jiao-festival

The Jiao-festival is a Taoist ritual folklore event, also known as the "Bun Festival" and the "Bun Festival", which aims to pray for the safety of the local community. Jiao-festival" means to sacrifice to the gods, such as the Warring States Song Yu "Gao Tang Fu" said "Jiao all the gods, ritual Tai Yi", "Sui book? The Book of the Sui Dynasty (隋书?經籍志) also says: "In the middle of the night, under the stars, wine, biscuits and coins are put on display to honor the Emperor, Taiyi, and the five stars, and the book is written as in the last chapter of the rituals, which is known as the Jiao Festival. Jiao-festival of Taoism can be divided into two categories, namely, Ching Jiao (清醮) for praying for blessings and thanksgiving, and Yiu Jiao (幽醮) for funeral and death. "The Buns became a local folklore event due to the influence of the folk race custom since the Tang Dynasty, which was especially popular in the Qing Dynasty. As a local folklore activity since the Qing Dynasty, the "Bun Festival" is a ritual activity to pray for blessings and thanksgiving, and the content is to pray for the gods to bless the local peace. Jiao-festival is usually funded by the local people, and Taoist temples host large-scale jiao-festival ceremonies, as well as entertainment activities such as parades of deities and performances. At that time, Taoist priests are invited to build an altar to enter the table, recite sutra and worship, and ask the theater troupe to perform all night long, which is very lively. The play usually starts one night before the official start of the Jiao ceremony, until the end of the ceremony. Since the Qing Dynasty, the Bun Festival has been an important way to influence the local Chinese society by combining Taoism and folk beliefs. Jiao-festivals have strong regional characteristics, such as those held in Sichuan during the Republic of China period, where Taoist palaces and temples would build jiao-festivals and pray to the gods to eliminate the rainfall in the local area, so as to protect the people from the yearly abundance of rain. The annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival in Hong Kong is also an event to pray for the peace and tranquility of the Hong Kong community, and the Taoist temples are generally responsible for the Bun Festival. The local Jiao-festival is usually held in the presence of an elected chief, who is responsible for organizing the activities of the Jiao-festival.

Zhang Zehong: "Taoist Buns and Folk Beliefs," Chengdu: Studies in Religion, No. 2, 1999. Choy Chih-cheung, The Bun Festival: Hong Kong's Festivals and Regional Society (Hong Kong: Sanlian Bookstore, 2000).