Gin festival pays homage to the sea
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E-mail China Today, July 28, 2017
The Origin
There are several myths about the origin of the festival. The best known one is that a giant centipede in the Beibu Gulf demanded one man to eat from every passing ship, and threatened to conjure a tempest to sink it if refused. A god killed the monster, and cut it into three pieces, which became the three islands of Wutou, Shanxin and Wanwei. This god was thereafter worshipped by the Gins as the Sea Pacifying Lord, and sacrifices are offered to him at the Ha Pavilion every year.
The Ha Pavilion, the main venue of the celebrations during the Ha Festival and other major Gin events, is a public space dedicated to the memory of ancestors and gods as well as for communal recreational activities. It is located in the vicinity of a village, and built with the best wood available in the region. The style could be pristine or ornate, and evidently incorporates elements of the Han culture, such as the twin dragon sculpture, a traditional Han motif, on the roof ridge.
The pavilion consists of the central, left, and right halls. A shrine is set up in the central hall, to display memorial tablets for ancestors and gods. The columns in the room are carved with couplets or poems. In bigger Ha Pavilions the platform where the rite takes place is flanked by terraced seating sections that are reserved for the elders of the community and those who donate to the building of the pavilion or the organization of the Ha Festival. Their seats are arranged according to their status and contributions.
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