Announce Department：General Affairs Department
Apr. 30, 2011
Report on Jincheng, by Reporter Yang Shui-Yung
In the 2011 Greeting City God activity in Kinmen, everyone could compete for carrying God’s Palankeen. The “Palankeen Carrying Competition” was held by Jincheng Township Administration for the first time, to display the dynamic feeling of swinging God’s Palankeen as well as the intensive tonality and rhythm of gongs and drums, showing visual and audio abundance and aesthetics, through the temples’/groups’ swing and contest against each other. The township administration welcomed every temple or group in the county to form a team and register to participate. Those who are willing to participate should send their registration forms to the Tourism Section at Jincheng Township Administration before May 6, or via FAX: 082-373498.
The “Palankeen Carrying Competition” would be held by Jincheng Township Administration on May 13. It aimed to make many more youth understand the most special and traditional “Greeting the Palankeen” in Kinmen, so as to inherit the cultural and artistic assets in Kinmen’s civil circles. Besides, the series activities of Palankeen Carrying were guided by the Transportation and Tourism Bureau at Kinmen County Government, hosted by Jincheng Township Administration, co-undertaken by Jincheng Township Beizhen Temple Management Committee, and undertaken by Kinmen County Folk Arts Promotion Association.
The God’s Palankeen in Kinmen is one of the precious cultural assets in Min-Nan folk faith, which has been preserved luckily due to the military-controlled environment of Kinmen in early days and whose tradition has been maintained, said Jincheng Township Mayor Shih Chao-Min. According to the legend, people can eliminate disasters and pray for blessings by carrying and swinging the God’s Palankeen on their shoulders. Through the Palankeen Carrying Competition, each temple can be invited to swing and contest against each other, to warm the theme activity of Greeting City God on the 12th day of the lunar 4th month.
Last year, the Beimen God’s Palankeen Team participated in the “Great Contest for National Art Array Trophy (大車拚之全國藝陣強強盃)” and won the second place. According to Village Chief Hsu Chi-Teng, Greeting the Palankeen is namely carrying the God’s Palankeen. Usually, the God’s Palankeen is carried by four persons, and each of them has his own task—“First Head (頭兼) should pay attention to the carrying pole and be carful about the direction when he walks; “Second Helm (二舵)” and “Third Helm (三舵)” should put emphasis on the swing; “Rear Helm (後舵) should put emphasis on stabilizing the direction.
According to Hsu Chi-Teng, the first priority for carrying the God’s Palankeen lies in consistent pace, and the rhythm should be consistent as well; swinging in harmony with the gongs and drums, the palankeen carriers exert effort to sway to the left and right sides simultaneously, to show their respect for the God and pray for blessings and safety. Now, this has been one of the features of Kinmen’s temple fairs.
According to Jincheng Township Administration, the Palankeen Carrying Competition would be held at the front square of Jincheng Beizhen Temple, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on May 13. The temples and groups within this county would form teams to participate. A team consists of four persons. The preliminary contest of Carrying the Martial Palankeen would be held according to the competition site as well as the rules and items. Also, the folklore experts of Greeting Palankeen would be engaged as the judges. The top five who obtained the highest total scores appraised by the judges would be qualified for the finals. As for the finals, the contest for tossing divination blocks would be held. One representative of each team entering the finals would be designated. The team who tossed the maximum number of Shèngjiǎo (one up one down) would be the champion, and it would be awarded a silk banner and bestowed with exquisite souvenirs taken as rewards.
Besides, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 7 and May 21, a “Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Greeting Palankeen” would be held by the township administration. The school boys from Kinmen University and high schools/vocational high schools, who are 18~20 years-old, would be invited. They would learn the skills of Greeting Palankeen on the scene. After they passed the trials, they would be awarded the Commemorative Certificates of Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and bestowed with exquisite souvenirs.
Jincheng Township Administration reminded: The people or groups who intend to experience the God’s Palankeen activity could go to the front square of Beizhen Temple at 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. everyday, from May 1 to May 30; the participant people can experience the folk features of carrying the God’s Palankeen and swinging the God’s Palankeen. Also, professional technicians were arranged there, for providing assistance and guidance. Anyone who experienced this on the scene and was valued by the technicians to be qualified would be awarded the Experience Certificate.