Three Mountain God Sacrifice Ritual
124.Three Mountain God Sacrifice Ritual
Nominating Unit: Jiexi County, City of Jieyang
Three Mountain God Sacrifi ce Ritual is a traditional folk custom in Jiexi County, Jieyang City, in east Guangdong Province. According to a local legend, three cousins Lianjie, Zhaoxuan, and Qiaojun once assisted Emperor Yangjian in starting the Sui Dynasty and were later appointed generals. However, the three of them didn’t crave for wealth and power, withdrew from the society and lived in solitude. From then on, they worked very hard. Finally, they made great achievements and blessed Chaozhou with safety. Since then, people have regarded them as the Gods of the three mountains. Later, Emperor Taizong in the Song Dynasty appointed them the kings of the three mountains and had the Mingkuang Temple built in honor of them. According to the Notes of the Mingkuang Temple, three Gods emerged from a cave and identified themselves as Kunji. They told people that they had come to safeguard the three mountains and chose the boundary stone of the Jade Peak as the lucky place where the temple was to be built. Therefore, the local people thought highly of the three kings. From then on, they started worshipping them in order to secure favorable climate and safety, a practice which in time became an important activity and had a huge influence in such areas as Chaoshan, Fujian, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asia.
Three Mountain God Sacrifice Ritual, which typically involves offering pigs and sheep as sacrifices to Heaven, is mainly non-governmental and is conducted in Sanshan (three mountains) Ancestral Temple (the so-called Míngkuàng Temple). At the ceremony, people invite the statues of the three kings of the mountains from local temples and do not start sacrificing until they have enshrined them in Mingkuang Temple. This activity is rigidly structured: First, an emcee begins the ceremony, while cheerful music is played. Then, yellow gongs are beaten, bells rung and drums struck. Fireworks are set off, and three performances, known as “Great Bliss”, “Cool Bliss” and “String Bliss”are given. Afterwards the officiant and his company make a tribute of four basic types to the kings of the three mountains--- joss sticks, flowers, fruit, and money, which are put on a tray and covered with a piece of red or yellow silk cloth. After this, sacral articles are chanted to pay a tribute to the three kings and to pray for favorable weather, the peace and contentment for the people, and the prosperity of the country. This ceremony doesn’t end until the statues of the kings of three mountains are sent back to their primary temples.(https://www.daowen.com)
The custom of offering sacrifices to the kings of the three mountains, which plays an important role in the local social life, not only serves as the conduit of the local folk beliefs, but also facilitates communication among people and adds a hint of glamour to that area. As a folk belief and custom, both the activity of worshipping the kings of the three mountains and the temples themselves have survived intact through many vicissitudes without any scriptures, dogmas or preachers. The traditional rites of the Hakkas and all kinds of folk art in the Chaoshan District have been preserved in this activity, which provides valuable data for the study of the development of the social culture in Chaoshan District. Moreover, this activity will also help to preserve the traditional folk culture of the people in Banshanke, Chaoshan District, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan as well as that of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, which is characterized by folk beliefs.
Unfortunately, because the transmission of the rite of worshipping the kings of the three mountains is conducted only by oral instruction and most people who are the masters of this activity are advanced in years, there isn’t any complete record of it. In addition, the youths take no interest in this activity. Therefore, it faces the danger of extinction. Measures should be taken to rescue and protect it.
