Temple Morning

I spent a morning at Hsing Tian Kong temple before leaving Taipei. It is a typical polytheist Chinese temple.

The temple had a very helpful display explaining how to do various things, including the "three kneelings, nine head knocks," which is the most extreme form of the kowtow, reserved for emperors or gods.

This woman was handing out incense to anyone who wanted some. The incense is given as an offering, placed in huge bronze censers made for that purpose.

People praying in front of the temple's "five saviors."

These are the "five saviors" to whom people were praying. The red-faced guy in the middle is Guan Yu, a legendary 3rd century Chinese general and the subject of many elaborate tales.

Worship of him as a deity started in the 6th century. Chinese temples, whether Buddhist, Taoist or Confucian, tend to mix deities, of which there are many. People pray to different deities for different ends. Guang Yu is generally favored by people seeking help in business or, more generally, protection from evil.

He is often depicted with a red face. I've read various explanations for this. The most common are either that red is the color of loyalty and righteousness in Chinese opera or because an early description of him in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms says his face was the color of a jujube.

More people praying in front of the "five saviors."

Offerings left to the gods.

A typical offering. The temple supplies the plastic plates and you can buy the stuff for the offering at the temple or shops nearby - or bring your own. Here someone has left noodles, a sticky-rice cake and something I couldn't identify.

Another offering - yulan magnolia blossoms. They are extremely fragrant and taxi drivers in Southeast Asia sometimes hang them, or an even more fragrant hybrid, magnolia x alba, from their rear-view mirrors. I've always loved the smell.

A woman praying with incense before leaving it in the censer.

Praying by the censer to the altar of the Jade Emperor - the most important god in the Chinese pantheon and ruler of Heaven.

Temple officials performing prayers with drums at the altar of the Jade Emperor.

Another courtyard view. The place was fragrant with incense and yulan flowers and filled with the murmur of prayer, the soft beating of the prayer drums and the clacking of crescent shaped divination blocks that people drop on the ground for answers to the questions they ask the gods.

Divination blocks.

These women read prayers for the faithful. You can ask to have prayers read on your behalf.