Unlike other gods that roam at will and exercise authority throughout the land, Earth Lord adheres firmly to his own turf, and is therefore particularly close to the local populace. When villagers give birth, the news is reported to Earth Lord, and when they pass away, it is Earth Lord who escorts them across the threshold into the nether world. In the village of Sheliao in Puli Township, the Earth Lord temple not only protects the district but also provides loans for families facing a crisis, like any rotating credit association. You can even request help from him, like the local "bobby," if your car gets stolen. And in Meinung, a red banner draped in front of the Founding Uncle altar at the East Gate, presented by a local believer, reads: "Praying for sons, for wealth and for honors; for academic success and for peaceful well-being." Chang An-sheng, a local senior who sweeps the altar at 4 a.m. every morning, remarks: "Old Uncle here grants whatever you request. He's especially effective with requests for examination success!" Once the divine protector of the land, Earth Lord has become protector of the whole community. Spring prayer and Autumn thanksgiving
The lunar New Year celebrations are over, and another year begins. By tradition this is the time of the "Spring Prayers," when rural people ask Earth Lord for a successful year on the farm, and for general peace and well-being. In the fall, once the harvest has been gathered in, they requite Earth Lord for his blessings with an "Autumn Thanksgiving," when many farmers erect "Earth Lord Staffs"-bamboo poles festooned with "lucky money"-beside their paddy-fields, both as an expression of gratitude to the god, and as an aid to him in his perambulations among the fields. Nowadays, the Spring prayers are observed on the second day of the second lunar month, which is Earth Lord's birthday, and Autumn thanksgiving is observed on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the date that Earth Lord ascends to heaven. By tradition, there is always a rousing celebration, and a sumptuous feast shared by all.
It's late in the first lunar month in Meinung. The weather is getting warmer, the surrounding fields are already green, and the New Year Blessing ceremony is being held for Founding Uncle. At around five in the afternoon, amid the traditional sounds of Hakka bayin music, nine rites-masters headed by a Taoist priest appeal on behalf of Earth Lord for the gods to return from their "New Year vacation." One of the rites-masters, Lin Jung-an, says that more than 460 locals paid to take part in this year's ceremony. Later, at around eleven o'clock that night when the ceremonies are over, guests are invited to partake in a special dish, called "at-peace" congee.
This congee includes the stewed flesh from all the sheep and pigs used in the ceremony, along with special stir-fried Hakka dishes such as tripe with shredded ginger, and fermented soya beans in chopped organs. Hung Hsing-lan says that it is essential to stay till the end, both for the food and the atmosphere. When everyone is sitting together with their steaming bowls of congee, after a long day of ceremonies and having received the blessing of the gods, "it's like having the whole village get together for New Year's eve dinner." However, an even bigger feast takes place the following day, when over 400 people gather for lunch as guests of Old Uncle Earth.
Sure enough, shortly after eleven o'clock the next morning, there are 50 big round tables set out in front of Founding Uncle's altar, all fully seated with local people young and old. Everyone is relaxed and happy now that the official ceremonies are over, with people warmly calling to one another and playing with each other's kids. Li Feng-mao, researcher at the Academia Sinica's Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy, feels that what makes this occasion different from most other temple feasts is that it brings a whole community together to "share the good fortune," having jointly completed their rituals of prayer and received blessing from the gods.
After the first two or three dishes, the children get down from the table and begin to play, some sitting on the altar and eating the offerings of fruit that have been set out there, while others clamber about on Old Uncle's huatai under the big tree. Says Huang Hung-sung: "It's only at the Old Uncle altar that kids can climb onto the offerings table without getting told off." That's how close the god is to the Hakka people.
"The Earth Lords are all crowded onto the same bed!" With the exodus of people from rural villages, some residents, worried that Earth Lords were being left without any worshippers, have grouped their gods together at shared altars. (photo by Vincent Chang)