Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) The Wang Ye Worshipping Ceremony (迎王平安祭典) in Pingtung County attracted thousands of pilgrims on Saturday as King Boat (王船), which is to be set on fire Sunday morning, embarked on a "royal tour" of Donggang Township.
The triennial religious festival, which is held traditionally to prevent the spread of plagues, in the port town of Donggang, Pingtung County, is one of the biggest Wang Ye festivals in Taiwan and dates back 300 years ago.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, this year's festival was held on time but limited in scale.
Held by Donglong Temple (東隆宮), the religious festival lasts for eight days from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31, and will culminate when the King Boat is set on fire on a beach, signifying the deity being sent off.
On Saturday noon, the giant King Boat, 14 feet in height and 45.6 feet in length, set off on a "royal tour," the objective being to "catch" the evil spirits of diseases and disasters along the way.
The tour was welcomed by thousands of people, wishing to stave off bad luck and receive blessings.
It is estimated that more than 10,000 pilgrims from outside Donggang Township joined the procession, according to the local police precinct.
Some households prepared paper dolls, representing themselves, as well as sacrifices and incense, to ask the deity to remove their bad luck when the boat passed their home fronts, while others set off firecrackers.
The King Boat, which costs NT$10 million (US$359,303), will be taken to a local beach at midnight and set on fire at about 4:00 a.m., to symbolize the "casting out" of plagues and the celestial lord returning to heaven.
This year's King Boat is also a work of art, decorated with detailed paintings of dragons and phoenixes, as well as historical stories and figures from Chinese mythology.
