Temple Fair (Dongyue Temple Fair)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Temple Fair (Dongyue Temple Fair)

Applicant: Chaoyang District, Beijing

Item No.: 991

Project No.: Ⅹ - 84

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Beijing

Type: new item

Applicant: Chaoyang District, Beijing

Protected by: Beijing folk custom museum

Temple Fair (Dongyue Temple Fair)

Applicant: Chaoyang District, Beijing

Temple fair, also known as "Temple market", is a kind of folk belief activities held regularly in and around temples, which is popular all over the country. Some large temple fairs had a considerable scale in the Tang Dynasty, and they are still handed down and have a wide influence. All kinds of temple fairs have their own time, most of them are a traditional Lunar Festival or a religious and folk belief day. Temple Fair has the characteristics of concentration, group and fixation. During the temple fair, all kinds of folk activities and technical trade activities can be fully displayed in public, and the activities are rich and colorful. The God greeting competition is also a form of temple fair. In Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, traditional temple fairs, which are popular among believers, are all introduced from the mainland and have a close relationship with the mother. In the overseas Chinese residential areas, many temple fairs brought from the motherland are full of incense, inheriting the cultural blood of the Chinese nation in a special way.

Dongyue Temple Fair is one of the earliest temple fairs in the history of Beijing. It had its rudiment in the Yuan Dynasty, was formally formed in the Ming Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty. Relying on the Dongyue Temple in Beijing, the temple fair has gradually formed a series of group activities including faith, commerce, entertainment and other aspects. In history, the fairs of Dongyue Temple were held during the Spring Festival, the birthday of emperor Dongyue from March 15 to March 28 of the lunar calendar and the lunar new moon day. During the temple fair, people go to the temple to offer sacrifices to the great emperor of Dongyue and the folk auspicious gods to pray for good fortune. Local folk incense associations do good deeds here, and various industries also take advantage of this opportunity to hold activities. In addition, there are also large-scale Temple markets selling seasonal products, local specialties, snacks and daily necessities. Today, Dongyue Temple Fair is mainly held during the Spring Festival. On the basis of inheriting the traditional customs, exhibitions, lectures and other activities are added, making Dongyue Temple fair one of the typical representatives of cultural temple fair in the new period.

Beijing Dongyue Temple Fair takes the belief of Dongyue emperor as the core and the blessing culture as the important content, which reflects the broad mass and is conducive to the construction of a harmonious atmosphere in society. There are many traditional folk customs in Dongyue Temple Fair customs, which provide important materials for the study of folk customs in North China.

After 1949, the temple fair of Dongyue Temple in Beijing fell into silence because the site of the temple was occupied by the government. At the end of the 20th century, the temple fair resumed and continues to this day, becoming one of the most influential Festival temple fairs in Beijing.