The origin of the belief in the Pearl Empress is as follows:
Worship of "Fenggang Pearl Empress" on the 17th day of the first month is a folk activity with local characteristics in Dahao area and even in eastern Guangdong. "Mother of Fenggang" is commonly known as "Pearl Empress". Because of the spiritual manifestation, on the 17th day of the first month of each year, in addition to the villagers' worship, thousands of foreign good men and women come to the DPRK. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "Fenggang's mother is a foreign guest". When did the "Sacrifice to Heaven on the 17th day of the first month" begin? According to the legend of the old people in the village, there are different opinions since ancient times; Second, the Ming and Qing Dynasties; The third statement is unclear, but it has not been verified so far, so this question is still a mystery? It is said that in the old society, the worship activities on the seventeenth day of the first month were not like this. On the 17th day of the first month, worship activities were held in two ancestral halls, namely Yongsi and Baoben. Every two years, a ancestral hall gets a sacred incense burner, and each of them invites the "Pearl Empress" to worship in their ancestral hall. The war and the Cultural Revolution were interrupted. After the Cultural Revolution, the sacrificial activities of "Fenggangma" were resumed, which broke the tradition of holding the upper and lower ancestral halls separately and was held in the present "Mother of Pearl Temple". Every year, there are thousands of worshippers, and the gods give whatever they want (this is a bit superstitious), and outsiders come. Under the correct guidance of the new era and new religious and folk policies, the worship of "Fenggang Horse" has become a folk activity with local characteristics. Characteristics of the Pearl Queen's pilgrimage.
"Pearl Niangniang Temple" is located on the north side of Fenggang mountainside, facing Haojiang River (when the ancient temple was built is not recorded), surrounded by Woods, with a pool in front and a well on the left and right, which is very beautiful in geomantic omen. As the saying goes, "if the mountain is not high, there must be a fairy, and then it will be famous." On the 17th day of the first month, the worship activities of "Mother Fenggang" attracted thousands of fans, and its characteristics also played a role.
1. Living table mat: During the sacrificial activities, there are various offerings in front of the shrine of "Pearl Queen". This kind of scene is not uncommon in superstitious activities in other parts of Chaoshan. What is unique is that there are several live chickens, ducks and geese on the altar of Fenggangma. These guys, undaunted by the crowd and the roar of firecrackers, are still walking leisurely on the table. Some people will ask whether these live chickens, ducks and geese have been specially trained and what is their function? Are raised by ordinary families. They were just "touched" by the Pearl Empress before they went to the table, and they were returned to their owners after the pilgrimage. They don't just decorate the dining table. Their main task is to be a health inspector for "Queen Jane". There are hundreds of offerings on the table, and if you find unclean offerings, you will walk around the table and turn it over. There are rules in the village. After the pilgrimage, the offerings that will not be overturned will be distributed to every household in the village, which is safe to eat! The offerings carried by live chickens and ducks will appear in one way or another. Once, a flower needle was found in a cake, and hair was still left in a "base plate" (this cake). Why is it so mysterious? So mysterious!
2. Fireworks in the sky: Before the government banned fireworks and firecrackers, firecrackers kept ringing in Fenggang on the 17th day of the first month. You will know its characteristics after staying at the scene for an hour or two. Many worshippers have the habit of setting off firecrackers to worship, which is a good sign-set off a bunch of firecrackers during worship to see if their firecrackers are ringing on the gun rack of firecrackers stone. Play continuously or not? In this way, firecrackers rang all day, very spectacular! What a pity! There is no such style now!
3. Crispy sugar tower: There are also crisp sugar towers on the table of sacrificial activities. Crispy sugar tower is made of crisp sugar. The shapes of crisp sugar towers are mostly customized by village collectives, "Hui" (small folk collectives) and foreign units. In the past, there was a competition between "Hui", and every year, we had to compete with each other whose crisp sugar tower was high. The crisp sugar tower once developed to 5 or 6 meters high. This is also rare in Chaoshan area.
4. The first incense: The so-called "first incense" is the first incense given by Fenggang villagers on the auspicious day of the seventeenth day of the first month. It is said that because the "first incense" can bring good luck to people who insert incense, thousands of people compete to insert the "first incense" every year for good luck in the New Year. The board of directors should ban all incense sticks in the village. When the ceremony of offering incense sticks to all the villagers is over, the crowds vying for the "first incense stick" will flock to it, and the scene is amazing.
5. Squeeze the stone gate: Anyone who has been to worship God will remember that you have to squeeze through a stone gate in the crowd to enter the worship venue. This stone gate is formed by two natural stones sandwiched together, and only two people can pass through it at the same time. On the 17th day of the first month, thousands of people crowded past this gate during the sacrificial activities of "Fenggang Horse". There are many legends about this Shimen village. The stone on the left is called "tortoise stone"; The stone on the right is called "crab stone", which is named after it looks like a turtle and a crab. Turtles are considered as a symbol of longevity. Crab is considered as a symbol of health, so this stone gate has the metaphor of longevity.
There are many legends and contents in the sacrificial activities of "Mother Fenggang", such as begging for Queena Ding and worshipping red peaches. Because the author's material collection ability is limited, he can only write. Most of the above contents are derived from the old population in Fenggang village. Please forgive me if there is any mistake!