Donggang King Boat Ceremony

The Donggang King Boat Ceremony takes place every three years in Donggang Township in southern Taiwan's Pingtung County. It has a history of more than one hundred years.

Every three years, people in Donggang welcome and greet the Lord God under orders from the sea. They accompany the Lord God as he patrols the neighborhood for several days. They also ask the omnipotent god to show benevolence to dispel evil spirits and endow blessings to the whole town. The end of the patrol tour is also the time for the Lord God to go back to his court in Heaven.

In order to show their deep gratitude and piety, people in Donggang build a splendid boat as the Lord God's departing vehicle. They hold solemn ceremony to bid farewell to the Lord God by burning off the so-called "King Boat" in front of the Donglong Temple, which is dedicated to worshipping the deity.

In the 2nd, 5th and 8th and 11th of the Chinese 12-year cycle, a couple of dices made of bamboo are thrown in the temple to acquire the Lord God's intention. The King Boat Ceremony used to last for 5 days, but now it takes a total of 8 days to accomplish. The whole ceremony is divided into 13 worshipping sections, which are "mission assignment and takeover", "making boat for the Lord God", "Lord God seated", "purport announcement", "temporary residence for the Lord God opening", "inviting the Lord God", "pass fire", "inspection visit trip", "Lord God worship", "boat change", "doing away with evil spirits", "feast the Lord God", and "sending off the Lord God".