February 2 on the lunar calendar marks the birthday of Tudigong, a deity revered in Taiwanese folk religion as “Lord of the Earth and Soil”. This year, the earth god’s birthday falls on March 4. Crowds of people in Tainan City are heading to a local temple in the hope that Tudigong will bring them wealth and prosperity.
Crowds of worshippers gather at the Dapu Fude Temple in Tainan to pray to Tudigong, the earth god. The throng of people is so big that they have to get in line just to burn incense.
Many people who plan to change jobs are here. Others are hoping for wealth. Even Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che is paying his respects. Huang says he’s glad that everyone is using the Hakka way of worshiping. At the end, they are each handed a red tortoise cake made of glutinous rice for good fortune.
One believer says he asked for better business. Another says she comes to pray to the earth god because he is also a god of wealth.
Worshippers also come away with boxes of so-called peace noodles, hoping to bring peace back to their families.
Devotees also head south to a temple in Hengchun, hanging postcards with their names for inner sustenance in the new year. It’s a long way to travel, but if it brings prosperity, these worshippers say they’ll go the distance.