Wang Ye worship () is a

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

ese and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

ese folk religion, frequently considered an aspect of the

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

belief system. Wang Ye is particularly worshipped in

Southern Taiwan The regions of Taiwan are based on the historical administrative divisions. However, most of the definitions are not precise. Division into two regions * Eastern and Western Taiwan: the Central Mountain Range separates Taiwan into east and west. :* ...

and also among Minnan speaking communities worldwide. The customary belief is that Wang Ye (), are Divine Emissaries who tour the world of the living on behalf of the Celestial Imperial Order, expelling disease and evil from those who worship and seek their divine grace. A temple dedicated to Wang Ye is usually called 代天府 (''Dai Tian Fu'': "Palace representing Heaven"), and the Wang Ye's visit is known as (), the object of the "inspection" being disease and bad luck. Such "inspection tours" take place on a regular cycle of a set number of years, usually three years but may varies at different region.

Origins of Wang Ye worship

Wang Ye worship stems from belief in two main categories of supernatural beings, both of which are spirits of what were once, according to legend, real human beings with selfless attitude and noble character. The first category of Wang Ye belief began with the legend of a kind-hearted intellectual who sacrificed himself by committing suicide in a well that contained toxic water, in order to prevent the villagers from drinking the well water and thus avoided any pestilence or plague from spreading. Therefore, to stop diseases, like pestilence, from spreading, people would honoured and make offerings to those beings who sacrificed their own lives for the civilians and public well-being. As time passed by, these great people are honored as Wang Ye and gradually became local Guardian Deities that are able to dispelling epidemic and diseases, and bestow blessings and good fortune. The second category comprises national heroes who are bestowed with the status of Deity by the Celestial appointment of

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

due to their heroic deeds and great sacrifices in their lives. An example is the spirit of

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

, thus honored for his role in defending and protecting

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

against the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

invading forces in China and the Dutch colonial forces in Taiwan.

The Wang Ye

There are many Wang Ye: some traditions claim there are a total of 360, with 132 surnames among them.

Wang Ye festivals

Wang Ye festivals are grand religious celebrations that take place in various parts of Taiwan, mostly in the south. They generally involve processions of Deities throughout the region to inspect and ward off any deadly diseases and evil presence, while bestow blessings with good fortune for the inhabitants in the particular region, and the celebration will complete with the burning or launch of a replica boat to send off the "Divine Emissaries" to heaven. One of the grandest Wang Ye's festivals in Taiwan takes place in

Donglong Temple The Donglong Temple () is one of the most prominent temple in Donggang Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to "Lord Wen" (溫王爺; Wēn wángyé, the word Wen is pronounced the same as "plague" in Chinese). History The ...

(東港東隆宮) which is located in the city of

Donggang Donggang may refer to: Mainland China *Donggang District (东港区), in Rizhao, Shandong *Donggang, Liaoning (东港市), county-level city in Dandong, Liaoning ;Towns Written as "东港镇": * Donggang, Huilai County, in Huilai County, Guangdon ...

Pingtung County Pingtung County is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pin ...

, once every three years. The 2009 festival began on October 10 and culminated in the early morning of October 17, when a wooden boat would be processed in the area and sent off while set on fire on the beach indicating the Deities heading back to the Heaven. The Nankunshen Daitian Temple, considered one of the Wang Ye's founding temple, was built in 1817 and is located in Beimen, Tainan.

References

{{reflist Deities in Taoism Deities in Chinese folk religion Religion in Fujian Religion in Taiwan Hokkien Taoism Taiwanese folk religion Supernatural legends Traditions involving fire