Sacrificial Ceremony in Honor of God of Tides

By Huang Jiayan

Sacrificial Ceremony in Honor of God of Tides

By Huang Jiayan

The sea outside the mouth of the Qiantang River sends tides into the broad Hangzhou Bay twice every day. The river suddenly narrows in Haining near Hangzhou and the huge momentum of the incoming tides gets trapped， turning angry and trying to fnd a way out. They used to wreak havocs on the banks， breaking dykes，destroying houses， fooding farmlands and killing people. In these places， dykes built with modern technology stand against possible disasters.

If technology of today protects people most effciently and brings the ferocity of tides under control with ease， then in ancient times，people built dykes and turned to gods for protection. In towns of Haining， people initiated a sacrificial ceremony to appease the wrath of the god of tides. Gradually， the ceremony evolved into a governmental rite. Local governors prayed to the god of tides regularly to show they were together with the local people. In 2014， the tide-god sacrifcial ceremony was designated as a national culturalheritage.

海神庙主神浙海之神的坐像与一左一右配食的海神五代吴越钱镠、春秋吴国伍子胥的立像。 （黄佳燕 摄）The three statues in Sea God Temple glorify the Sea God （center） and King Qian Liu of the Wuyue State and Prime Minister Wu Zixu of the Wu State.

潮神祭祀活动之三A sacrificial ceremony in honor of the god of tides is in full swing.

The god of tides of Qiantang River is Wu Zixu， a prime minister of the Wu State more than 2，000 years ago. He was framed by his enemies at the court and executed for crimes he hadn't committed. Folklore says that his body was thrown into Qiantang River on the 18th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar. He became the god of tides. He came back every day， taking a ride on the ferocious tides， dressed in white and sitting in a carriage powered by white horses. The day his body was dumped into the river became his birthday. For centuries， a sacrifcial ceremony was held in his honor on his birthday.

In the past， local residents paid homage at the temples along the river and prayed there for the blessing of the god of tides. And they held special ceremonies for the blessing of the god of tides when they set sail or started a dyke project.

In the Southern Song Dynasty （1127-1279）， the court ruled the country from Hangzhou and the ceremony was institutionalized. The sacrifcial ceremony was held at three levels. The local governors held the lowest-grade ceremony either in Hangzhou or in Haining. At the provincial level， the Zhejiang governor presided at the ceremony. At the grand ceremony， a court minister would read a sacrifcial oration on the behalf of the emperor. At the grand ceremony， the navy would parade and exercise on the river. For entertainment at the ceremony， local swimmers played with the tides.

Biggest temples in honor of the god of sea in Haining were built during the Qing Dynasty. Under the decree of Emperor Yongzheng who ruled from 1722 to 1735， a sea god temple was built in Haining. Emperor Qianlong who ruled from 1736 to 1795 visited the Haining dykes four times during his six inspections to the south. The Sea God Temple in Haining was sponsored by the government，like the Confucius Temple， the City God Temple and Lord Guan Temple in Hangzhou. The aforementioned Wu Zixu and the King of Wuyue State Qian Liu were offcially apotheosized by the central government to be worshipped at the temple， and eighteen other historical figures were also canonized to be worshipped at the temple. An annual sacrificial ceremony was held at the Sea God Temple in Haining from the Qing Dynasty up to the years of the short-lived Republic of China（1911-1949）.

The ceremony was brought back in 1994 when the Haining People's Government decided to set up a tide-viewing festival. The ceremony was part of the initial package. The sacrifcial ceremony is now still sponsored by the local government and held at the Sea God Temple， a key cultural heritage unit under the protection of the central government. The solemn ceremony， however， is partly made vivid by a celebration staged by folk artists. They perform a traditional show in honor of the god of tides and legends about these historical fgures who had something to do with the river.