Taoists thank gods for rains
The short procession in Victoria Road formed part of a thanksgiving ceremony, where devotees from Tzu-Sheng Gong Taoist Temple united with devotees from Ning Au Gong, a Taoist temple from Ladybrand, to thank the gods for the recent refreshing rainfall
Beating drums, blaring Oriental music, exploding fire works, and traditional Chinese dancers making their way down Victoria Road on Saturday morning, attracted several staring eyes from passers-by.
The short procession in Victoria Road formed part of a thanksgiving ceremony, where devotees from Tzu-Sheng Gong Taoist Temple united with devotees from Ning Au Gong, a Taoist temple from Ladybrand, to thank the gods for the recent refreshing rainfall.
“In the past several months, like many other religious groups, we also prayed for rain and it appears our prayers were answered. Our temple decided to host a prayer ceremony to thank our gods for the rain,” said Alex Liu, a temple member.
Vice chairman of the temple committee, Henry Peng, said the ceremony was also held to ensure the Taoist way of life was kept alive.
“We have about 200 Taoists in Newcastle and are one of the smallest belief systems in town. This prayer ceremony was our way of keeping our traditions, beliefs and culture alive and teaching our children to thank the gods when our prayers were answered,” he explained.
