Zhuangzi Sacrifice Ceremony

Anhui
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The ceremony of Zhuangzi's sacrifice is simple but solemn. After all kinds of ceremonial guards are in place, classical sacrificial music starts. In the sound of music, 100 participants perform sacrificial rituals to the sitting statue of Zhuangzi, offering incense, flowers, water, wine, grains, etc., and read out "Praise of Incense", "Praise of Flowers", "Praise of Water", "Praise of Wine", and "Praise of Grains" in turn. After the chief priest reads the sacrificial text, 100 participants sit cross-legged on the ground and recite Zhuangzi's "Heavenly Way" with drums and basins. Since the Song Dynasty, Mengcheng has always had activities to worship Zhuangzi. The "Mengcheng County Annals" of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty records: "The famous official temple, the regulation school detailed worship of Zhuang Zhou, He Dao, Duan Shaolian, and Su Shunqin. Every time the sacrifice to the Confucian Temple is finished, they will worship them, and the sacrificial utensils are the same." The Mengcheng County Annals during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty recorded: "The worship of the local sage Zhuang Zhou, whose name is Zixiu, is from Meng. He was a lacquer garden official and was a contemporary of King Hui of Liang and King Xuan of Qi." For nearly a hundred years, the activities of worshiping Zhuangzi were interrupted for various reasons. After continuous efforts from all parties, scholars who study Laozi and Zhuangzi in Mengcheng County and some non-governmental organizations jointly initiated the event, and all sectors of society joined in the celebration. In 2012, the first ceremony of common people worshipping Zhuangzi was held in Zhuangzi Temple in Mengcheng County, Anhui Province, Zhuangzi's hometown. Information source: Anhui Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center Information source: Anhui Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center

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