Serving Wangyeh deity from generation to generation

For this reason, many children and teenagers can be observed serving in the blessing procession of the deity Wen Wangyeh, which began Sunday in the Donggang fishing port in Pingtung County, southwestern Taiwan, dressed either as “Bantou”— public officials responsible for maintaining order — or “Jiaoban” — sedan carriers.

Unlike the youth who take part in other temple activities, the young Bantou and Jiaoban have inherited the “man-only” positions from their fathers or the elders in their families, and are recognized by the god through a ritual, said 41-year -old Su Po-wen, who has taken part in the festival with his Bantou father since he was 5 years old.

Su stated that if a Bantou has no son, he can pass on the post to the children of his sisters, but the succession must be approved by Wangyeh.

Applicants for the position, or those who want to quit, have to ask for the god's permission through the ritual of throwing two divining crescents on the ground, he said.

In order to acquire the permission, the applicants must promise to serve in the post and hand the position down from generation to generation, Su added.

Asked why he would promise to be a Bantou in this way, Su said that “it is a kind of honor to serve Wangyeh whenever the festival is held.

Particularly at the time of greeting and bidding farewell to the god, I would feel bad if I did not come.”

The traditional temple ceremony to honor Wen Wangyeh began at Jhenhai Park in Donggang last Saturday with a complicated welcoming ritual before the launch of a four-day blessing procession.

The ceremony culminates on the last day of sumptuous rituals with the ceremonial burning of an elaborately carved wooden boat.

More than 10,000 Wangyeh believers from outside the township, as well as curious tourists, have flocked to Donggang to observe the largest and most complex festival of its kind in Taiwan.

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