Monkey King Festival
monkey king festival chinese 齊天大聖千秋 celebrated hong kong th day eighth lunar month chinese calendar corresponding september according common era calendar day mid autumn festival origin festival traced epic th century novel journey west xiyou ji 西遊記 written chinese novelist wu chengen – ming dynasty – novel brings concept immortality taoism rebirth buddhism monkey sun wukong character novel featured figure festival story entered annals folklore china revolves around xuanzang buddhist monk tang dynasty – harassed demon bandit visit ancient india accompanied disciple protector sun wukong monkey king pigsy 猪八戒 sandy 沙悟浄 return china buddhist scripture novel story became subsumed popular culture china monkey king appeared buddhist novel attained higher recognition cultural ethos ancient china temple built honor biography established birthday monkey king observed new year day also trickster day immeasurable talent cunning wit festival celebration monkey king typically involves burning incense paper offering taoist celebrate monkey king festival performing acrobatic move hurricanewhirl kick monkey king temple sau mau ping kowloon medium recreates monkey king battle god heaven novel journey west medium possessed spirit monkey king run barefoot across bed hot coal climbing ladder made knife monkey king said bronze head iron shoulder thus unharmed performing feat different custom reported german missionary southwest shandong relates fusion heterodox activity popular culture includes calling spirit sun wukong monkey king place hold ritual festival four young men selected purpose inviting sun wukong demonstrate martial prowess fall face selected sacred ground one eventually possessed spirit monkey god possessed called mapi meaning horse term used define people possessed spirit possessed person awakened given sword swing around wildly jumping table bench displaying kind martial art incense kept burning venue extinguished young man fall ground exhausted also celebration birthday singapore avant gerald rodney magic lotus lantern tale han chinese authorhouse p isbn esherick joseph w origin boxer uprising university california press pp – isbn stepanchuk carol wong charles choy mooncakes hungry ghost festival china china book p isbn melton j gordon religious celebration encyclopedia holiday festival solemn observance spiritual commemoration abcclio p isbn yuan haiwang magic lotus lantern tale han chinese library unlimited pp isbn