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Temple Fair
The Temple Fair has a long history in Ruzhou, Henan province. Hosted around the temple, it is a major platform for presenting religions like Buddhism and Taoism, and also provides good opportunities for folk trade, friends’ reunions and entertainments. Ruzhou once had more than 200 temples, each with its own unique fair, named after the temple, for local residents and non-native pilgrims to offer incense and chant scriptures. In addition, Some large temples would also provide Chinese opera performance in the fairs. However, most of the temples now have been destroyed, so most temple fairs today are hosted around villages and have changed their names.
Fengxue Temple Fair
The three-day Fengxue Temple Fair is the largest and longest fair in Ruzhou. It starts on June 17 of the lunar calendar and reaches its climax on the second day’s evening.
Visitors enjoy a number of musical performances during the fair, which usually last late into the night.
Couples also grab at this great opportunity to pray for their romantic relationships.
A Buddhist temple is a land of purity, so rain usually falls after the fair is over, aiming to purify the temple.
Huoshen Temple Fair
The fair, hosted by the Houshen Association, begins on January 28 of the lunar calendar, and is named after the Huoshen temple, which was built for the god of fire. When the Lantern Festival (January 15 in lunar calendar) is ended, people from the neighboring village will steal the god’s statue away and inform the association. The association members will then go to the villages with tributes to take the statue home two days before the fair’s opening. After it arrives home, the stage for Chinese opera performance will be immediately set up, indicating that the fair has officially started.
Hot Spring Temple Fair
According to historical records, the Hot Spring Temple Fair is the earliest fair in Henan Province’s history. The hot spring in Ruzhou is famous for its high water temperature and rich trace elements, which attract many people to enjoy it. Wan Yanliang, an emperor of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), once highly praised the hot spring after he swam in it, and then ordered the merchants from counties within 150 meters to do business there, which has developed into a custom to promote the local economy.
Spring Gathering (Chunhui)
Chunhui refers to the fairs held in the spring, most of which are temple fairs. More than 45 fairs will be held in only one month, the March of the lunar calendar, and dates of the fairs hosted by villages in each area will be different. During the fairs, hosts will provide Chinese opera performances by inviting professional actors and actresses. Such performance will last anywhere from one day to three days and nights.
Shiling Fair
Shingling fairs refer to the fairs set up for special days or festivals, such as the fair held during the Qing Ming festival for people to commemorate the dead, and fairs held in the last lunar month for them to do shopping for the Spring Festival.
Material Exchange Fair
Many villages and towns in Ruzhou have been hosting fairs for material exchanges since the foundation of New China, especially after the Reform and Opening-Up in 1978. These fairs are mainly served for business trade and Chinese opera performances, but have no connection with religion. Beginning in 1989, Ruzhou has annually hosted a seven-day material exchange fair in September with participants from the nearby areas. Some sessions have been held with the city’s art festival, aiming to boost the city’s economy as well as its culture.
By Hao Nan
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