Detailed Introduction
Gongs, suona, and cymbals strike up at once. A Taoist priest in a robe embroidered with the eight trigrams shakes the Emperor Bell in one hand while his feet trace the seven stars of the Big Dipper across the ground -- one of the most theatrical sights on any temple plaza in Taiwan: doing fashi, also known as keyi (Taoist liturgy). Presided over by professionally trained priests, it is a bridge between the human world and the realm of spirits, present at every threshold of life from birth to death.
What Is a Liturgical Ceremony?
Fashi is not something you can perform at home. The priest leading it must be professionally trained, reaching the deities step by step through chanting scripture, reciting incantations, "bugang tadou" (a ritual gait symbolizing treading upon the stars of the Big Dipper), and "cunxiang" (inwardly visualizing the deities descending). It takes years of cultivation and religious knowledge -- not something an ordinary worshipper can do alone.
Common Types of Ceremony
- Blessing rites: Tai Sui pacification, lighting bright lamps, fortune restoration, and peace-prayer assemblies -- to pray for a smooth, safe year ahead and to ward off calamity, usually held around the first lunar month or during a temple's major celebrations.
- Salvation rites: Ghost Month universal salvation (Zhongyuan Pudu), memorial rites for the dead, and merit assemblies -- accumulating merit for departed relatives or wandering souls to help them escape suffering, the most important religious activity of the seventh lunar month.
- Exorcism rites: house-cleansing, shoujing (fright-calming), and driving off evil. When a home is unsettled, family members fall ill one after another, or strange things happen, a ritual master may be invited to the house to perform them.
- Thanksgiving rites: ceremonies to repay the gods after a wish comes true; and the jiao ritual (a community-wide peace ceremony), a grand, large-scale event usually held only once every three to five years.
- Funerary rites: merit-making for the dead, soul-guiding, coffin-sealing, and burial ceremonies. Taoist liturgy plays a heavy role in Taiwanese funerals, guiding the departed soul all the way to the next world.
The Scene and the Implements
An altar is raised at the ceremony site, set with images of the Celestial Worthies, command flags, and talismans. The color of the priest's robe carries meaning -- red for blessing rites, black for salvation rites. Each implement has its job: the Emperor Bell is shaken to summon the deities, the wooden fish keeps the rhythm of the chanting, the dragon horn is blown to intimidate evil spirits, the treasure sword slays demons, and a wave of the command flag issues divine orders. At the back, musicians accompany on gongs, drums, suona (Chinese oboe), and cymbals -- music at once solemn and full of dramatic tension, one of the most distinctive strands of Taiwanese religious music.
Cost and Choosing a Master
The cost varies enormously: from a small shoujing (free to a few hundred NT dollars) all the way to a grand jiao ritual (hundreds of thousands to millions). When choosing a ritual master, favor those recommended by reputable temples or with a good word-of-mouth reputation -- and steer clear of dubious "itinerant practitioners" of unknown origin.