When Zhang Fan came to the temple, the old village chief told him that the Bodhisattva had been invited out to accept the worship of the villagers. Then the statues of the Jade Emperor Queen Mother, Emperor Guan, Wenshu Bodhisattva and other gods are lifted out and placed in the portable shrine prepared in advance, and you can prepare the wandering gods.

On the day of festive festivals such as the New Year, the Lantern Festival, the temple fair, or the birthday of the gods, people go to the temple to carry out the statues of the gods, and then the procession goes around the village, beating gongs and drums, and setting off cannons, so that the gods can drive away the unsatisfactory past, pray for good luck, and bless the safety of the villagers.

The gods or bodhisattvas in Huangshi Town and even in the western part of Guangdong have the same meaning, but they are different from the bodhisattvas of Buddhism and the gods of Taoism. For example, the gods here in the temple fair generally refer to the gods of folk religion, local land gods, historical celebrities, and the ancestors of villagers who have been canonized as saints or immortals, as well as gods, immortals, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas of Taoism and Buddhism.

"Xiao Fan, when the meeting starts, you carry the god and walk in the middle of the team. The old village chief explained.

Okay, Zhang Fan thought that he was just helping to move and lift, and be a melon-eating masses, but he didn't expect to be assigned a heavy responsibility, so he was a little flattered, "Village Chief, aren't you burying me, right? I remember that this was all decided by lottery before!"

The time of the temple fair in each village generally depends on the number of days the temple fair is held, some on the first day, and some at the end of the day to welcome the Bodhisattva back to the temple. The start time of the wandering gods is determined according to the size of the number of households in the village, and the wandering gods are determined by the villagers through various methods such as drawing lots before the start of the temple fair.

And the villagers who carry the gods in the draw, that is, the statues or incense burners are considered lucky by everyone, because everyone believes that the gods will be blessed by the gods at the beginning of the new year.

"Haha, what's the use of lottery, the villagers of our two villages agree that you are the most suitable!" said the village chief of Huishui Village.

Everyone is so loving, it is better to be respectful than to obey fate.

As soon as the auspicious time arrived, the temple Zhu lit a string of ten-meter-long firecrackers at the temple gate, the gongs and drums and suona sounded, and the team of the gods set off from the temple and began to parade around Huishui Village and Zhangjiazhai.

The team has a huge lineup of wandering gods, with a variety of props, including gunners, Taoist priests, statues, incense burners, umbrellas, colored flags, suona, long trumpets, gongs, drums, cymbals, lanterns, sacrificial vessels, and various paper boats used to hold the five ghosts and evil gods.

At the front is the bunting team, waving flags. Then there is the gong and drum class, beating gongs, playing drums, blowing and ticking, and then there is the statue of the god who was carried by several people and sat in the portable shrine, and then the invited floating color performance troupe and lion dancing team, the Taoist priests followed closely behind, and many villagers followed behind the team, and Zhang Fan was in the middle of the team.

Every once in a while, the gunners of the Youshen team will set off a cannon head, and when it soars into the sky, the firecrackers of the villagers on both sides to welcome the gods also sound, and everywhere they pass through are the cannons and fireworks that welcome and send the gods. The thunderous sound spread all over the four fields, and the villagers watched and greeted them in the middle of the road, and the scene was very warm.

Whenever they pass by the door, the villagers will bring out the prepared tributes early.

Before the procession arrives at the village, all the men and women of the village, young and old, carry their arms and shoulders, gather the prepared offerings in an open space at the head or end of the village, and place three teas and five wines, steers, pork, fish (three animals), candy and other offerings on the table of the eight immortals, ready to worship the gods.

The table and the offerings on the table are collectively called Zongtai, and the process of worshipping the gods and praying for blessings from the time the procession arrives at the location of the Zongtai until the departure of the gods is called worship.

When the procession arrived at the place of worship on the platform, the idol carried by the wandering gods was respectfully invited to get off the sedan chair and placed on the table of the eight immortals piled with offerings. Then the Youshen Dao official chanted and sang and burned the paper, and the kneeling officially began.

At this time, the suona and trumpet in the team of the gods sounded continuously, and there was accompaniment between the gongs and drums, and the villagers walked to the statue of the god and knelt three times and bowed nine times, praying for the protection of the gods.

"What age are you now, and you're still so superstitious about kneeling and knocking!," muttered a young female tourist in a miniskirt, a leopard-print fur coat, and short burgundy hair.

"Dress up like you, the villagers haven't said it's bad moral!" said a male tourist next to him, and his eyes continued to follow the direction of the Youshen team.

The Taoist man recited a mantra while walking around the Zongtai for a few laps, and drew spells and practices next to the paper boat with peachwood swords, Buddha dust, and other props, and then shouted loudly, please get on the boat quickly!

Dao Gong Lao, that is, Taoist Lao, their name for the area around Huangshi Town.

In addition to the villagers watching, many tourists who came to Huangshi Town for the New Year also followed the long queue to join in the fun, and even drove their own cars slowly behind the crowd. Such a large procession of wandering gods parade through the village is spectacular.

According to the estimation of the reporters who came to follow the report in the town, the team of the gods of this temple fair is the longest in the history of Huangshi Town, with thousands of people. As soon as the report came out on the street, it became a hot headline for the local Spring Festival, attracting the attention of countless netizens.

Walking behind the team, the villagers from other villages who came to join in the excitement all sighed: "This Youshen team is magnificent and lively enough, and it is very Zhang Fan's characteristics!"

In their rural areas, there are often temple fairs, but it seems that it is rare to be able to play such a big game.

They believe that Huishui Village is close to Zhangjiazhai, and the gods in their village temples are particularly beautiful.

"With Zhang Fan's guy taking the lead, it's strange that this temple will make a small fuss like the usual money!" someone said.

According to his understanding, in order to do a good job in this temple fair, Zhang Fan deliberately told the two village chiefs that money is not a problem, and that the accompaniment band, lion dancing team or something should be professional, just let it go.

"During the period of the wandering gods, the expenses of buying tributes and incense, firecrackers, setting up banquets, inviting Taoist priests, and performing teams are indeed a lot of money! Zhang Xiaoyou is so generous and far-sighted! It not only increases the festive atmosphere, enriches the cultural and entertainment activities of the villagers, but also allows these tourists and friends from other places to truly feel the real situation of the rural 'wandering gods', which can be said to be another beautiful advertisement for Zhangjiazhai and stimulates the growth of tourism income in the village!"

While enjoying the excitement in front of them, they kept boasting about Zhang Fanlai.

"Yes, that guy Zhang Fan usually looks lazy and lazy, but I didn't expect him to think a little handsome when he was serious!" a young woman laughed.

It's a pity that other women have taken the lead.

With the addition of Zhangjiazhai in Huishui Village, the route to be trained by the Youshen team is not short, but the villagers and tourists are tired of it. In particular, those tourists who have not experienced it much are a little more excited than the children in the village, and their mobile phones and cameras are taking pictures all the way.