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Ceremonies to Celebrate the Birth of Spirits (view source)
Revision as of 11:56, 31 October 2009
, 11:56, 31 October 2009no edit summary
Celebrations of the Divine Birthdays of Deities ( 神誕慶典 Shendan Qingdian ) in Daoist temples often arouses neighbouring folk people's pilgrimage activities. They form a custom and religious festival common to local Daoist circles and local people. Daoism, as the Chinese aboriginal religion, had early absorbed the deities worshipped by the court and by the common people into its pantheon, and thus has natural relations with Chinese folklore. Daoism has many divine birthdays and correspondingly frequent religious and folk activities.
==Birthdays of Lofty Deitie==
According to ''the Dates of Divine Birthdays in the Collections of Jade Box Records of Divine Birthdays of Deities '' ( 《諸神聖誕日玉匣記等集》Zhushen Shengdanri Yuxia Ji Dengji ), there are many divine birthdays every month, and such "lofty festivals" total over fifty in a year. Except for the birthdays of Maitreya ( 彌勒Mile ), the Buddha, [[Avolokiteshvara ]] ( 觀音Guanyin ) and Dizang Bodhisatva ( 地藏菩薩Dizang Pusa ), which were absorbed from Buddhism, all the others are birthdays of Daoist deities. The following are the divine birthdays of deities listed in the book:
===1st month of the lunar calendar===
*1st day: the divine birthday of [[the Jade Emperor ]] ( 玉皇Yuhuang )
*13th day: the divine birthday of Fierce General Liu ( 劉猛將Liu Mengjiang )
*15th day: the divine birthday of [[the Heavenly Official of the Higher Origin ]] ( 上元天官 Shangyan Tianguan )
===2nd month of the lunar calendar===
*2nd day: the divine birthday of [[the Earth Spirit]]*3rd day: the divine birthday of the [[Imperial Sovereign of Zitong ]] ( 梓潼帝君Zitong Dijun )*15th day: the divine birthday of [[the Supreme Venerable Sovereign ]] ( 太上老君Taishang Laojun )
===3rd month of the lunar calendar===
*3rd day: the divine birthday of [[the Perfect Warrior High Emperor ]] ( 真武上帝Zhenwu Shangdi )
*15th day: the divine birthdays of Chief Commander Zhao and of the Ancestral Celestial Master ( 祖天師Zu Tianhi )
*18th day: the divine birthday of [[the Earth Queen]]
*20th day: the divine birthday of the Grandpa of Offspring
*23rd day: the divine birthday of [[the Heavenly Princess ]] ( 天妃Tianfei ) *28th day: the divine birthday of [[the Emperor of the Eastern Mountain ]] ( 東嶽大帝Dongyue Dadi )
===4th month of the lunar calendar===
*18th day: the divine birthdays of the Great Emperor of Purple Subtlety ( 紫微大帝Ziwei Dadi ) and of Grandma Dingshang ( 頂上娘娘Dingshang Niangniang )
*28th day: the divine birthday of [[the King of Medicine ]] ( 藥王Yaowang )
===5th month of the lunar calendar===
*5th day: the divine birthday of Chief Commander Wen
*7th day: the divine birthday of Grand Defense Minister Zhu ( 朱太尉Zhu Taiwei )
*11th day: the divine birthday of [[the Chief City God ]] ( 都城隍Duchenghuang )
*12th day: the divine birthday of the Duke of Fire ( 炳靈公Bingling Gong )
*13th day: the divine birthday of [[King Guan ]] ( 關王Gaunwang )
===6th month of the lunar calendar===
*19th day: celebration of Avolokiteshvara's Attaining Buddhahood
*23rd day: the divine birthdays of the Fire Spirit and of the Horse Spirit
*24th day: the divine birthday of [[the Heavenly Lord of Universal Transformation Whose Voice of Thunder Resonates with the Origin of the Nine Heavens ]] ( 九天應元雷聲普化天尊Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhau Tainzun )
===7th month of the lunar calendar===
*15th day: the divine birthdays of [[the Earthly Official of the Middle Origin ]] ( 中元地官Zhongyaun Diguan ) and of the Perfect Sovereign of Numinous Salvation ( 靈濟真君Lingji Zhenjun ) *18th day: the divine birthday of [[Grandma Queen of the West ]] ( 王母娘娘Wangmu Niangniang )
*19th day: the divine birthday of Grand Year God Yin
===8th month of the lunar calendar===
*3rd day: the divine birthday of [[the Kitchen Sovereign ]] ( 灶君Zaojun )
===9th month of the lunar calendar===
*3rd day: the divine birthday of the Five Plague Spirits
*9th day: the divine birthdays of [[Elder Immortal Ge ]] ( 葛仙翁Ge Xianweng ) and of Haoli*17th day: the divine birthdays of [[the Spirit of Wealth ]] ( 財神Caishen ) and of the Perfect Sovereign of Great Benevolence
*23rd day: the divine birthday of Ancestral Patriarch Sa
*28th day: the divine birthdays of Chief Commander Ma and of the Numinous Official of the Five Manifestations ( 五顯靈官Wuxian Lingguan )
===10th month of the lunar calendar===
*3rd day: the divine birthday of [[the Three Mao Perfect Sovereigns ]] ( 三茅真君Sanmao Zhenjun ) *15th day: the divine birthday of [[the Water Official of the Lower Origin ]] ( 下元水官Xiayuan Shuiguan )
===11th month of the lunar calendar===