On Thursday, May 4, the fifteenth day of the third lunar month, Baosheng Dadi, the popular patron god of medicine also called the “great emperor who protects life”, celebrated his birthday. To mark the occasion, Bao'an Temple in Taipei, which is dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, presented a special Confucian and Daoist ritual called Three Offerings.
During the religious ceremony, which lasted from about 8 to 9 am, performers in elegant robes beat a drum, offered three gifts, bowed and made wishes, sang, danced, and burned paper money and boats in veneration to the god.
In real life, Baosheng Dadi, was a respected local doctor, who served to heal many sick people in the southern part of China near Xiamen. After his death in the mid-eleventh century, his legend began to grow far beyond the merely human and was subsequently diffused into Taiwan by later generations of devotees.
The Baosheng Cultural Festival, which organizes several birthday celebrations, was introduced in 1994 and has since been held annually from approximately April through June. The festival includes different performances and an art exhibit as well as seminars highlighting Taiwanese religion and medicine. This year’s event is scheduled to continue with various processions through June 19.