News

The annual Songbo Ling Shoutian Temple Lantern Festival Celebration-Eating Peach-shaped Rice Cakes event kicked off at Shoutian Temple in the afternoon of the 26th. County magistrate Lin, Ming-Chen and the chairman of the Shoutian Temple Management Committee Chen, Teng-Yueh led local representatives to proceed the unveiling and incense offering ceremony and gave a limited number of small packaged peach-shaped rice cakes to the people who came to burn incense and feel the Lantern Festival atmosphere. The Songboling Shoutian Temple Lantern Festival Celebration features the theme of the ‘Birthday Ritual of Shang Yuan Magistrate of Heaven.’ This year, due to the impact of COVID-19, a series of related activities of the Songboling Shoutian Temple Lantern Festival Celebration-Eating Peach-shaped Rice Cakes Event has been suspended or scaled down. County magistrate Lin, Chairman Chen, Legislator Hsu, Shu-Hua, county councilors Yu, Hsiu-Ying and Chang, Chia-Che, the director of Civil Affairs Department Wu, Yen-ling, Mayor of Nantou City Sung, Huai-Lin, the chairperson of Township Representative Council Chen, Kuo-Neng, and the temple staff, carried out the unveiling ceremony of the peach-shaped rice cake together. They also burned incense and pray to Zhenwudadi for good weather, prosperity and peace. After the incense offering, small cups of rice cake were distributed to all the believers, which are to be eaten and able to keep us safe. County magistrate Lin said that Shoutian Temple has a history of more than 300 years and is a center for Taoist believers throughout the country. Zhenwudadi has many supports from all walks of life and devout believers, as he is powerful and efficacious, blessing the security of the county. The custom of offering peach-shaped rice cakes has long been maintained, allowing believers to attend Eating Peach-shaped Rice Cakes event, which is loved by the people all over the country. It is now a well-known Lantern Festival celebration in the country. Although the event was scaled down this year due to the pandemic, the peach-shaped rice cakes have been cut into smaller pieces for easy distribution. Everyone is welcome to have a taste of the peach-shaped rice cake that symbolize peace, wishing for safety, success in business, and that the pandemic can be over soon.