Wang Yeh boat burning festival still a big draw

The Donggang Wang Yeh festival, the largest temple activity of its kind in Taiwan, came to its dramatic conclusion at around 5: 30 a.m. on Oct. 17 when Wang Yeh's boat went up in flames, taking with it local evil spirits and worshippers' problems.

The ceremony's somber atmosphere reflected the area's deep-seated belief in this local “god of pestilence,” whose ability to ward off evil has grown to near mythic proportions.

“It was out of fear and ignorance over plagues, typhoid, cholera and malaria that people in the past put their faith in the god, thinking he can expel deadly diseases,” says Lin Mao-hsien, an assistant professor of Taiwanese culture and language at National Taichung University.

Even today, Wang Yeh, who is believed to be a divine emissary patrolling the world for the celestial realm, is evoked to expel the H1N1 virus, Lin says.

This year's festival was the most expensive ever, with the management of the more than 300-year-old Donglong Temple that runs the event estimating its cost at NT$1 billion, 20 percent higher than the previous festival in 2006.

Hank Lin, a Kaohsiung resident who spent the night standing on the beach waiting for the boat to be burned, was attending the boat burning ceremony for the second time. He was willing to sacrifice sleep to be there because of the tradition and his own faith.

“I believe in Wang Yeh. Since I was in junior high school, I've believed in this faith. In many points of my life, I believe Wang Yeh was there to help me. It's not just for expelling diseases.”

That faith in the deity over the centuries has derived from “the desire for peace and health, the punishment of evil and rewarding the good, along with strong community cohesion formed around fear-based belief,” Lin Mao-hsien explained.

Community cohesion has been particularly important because it has made Donggang natives proud to be from the town along Taiwan's southwest coast.

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