Polo Temple Fair

After Lantern festival day festival for not more than a month, Guangzhou also has a mysterious temple fair, which is called the Polo Temple Fair.

The Polo temple fair is long-standing. It is said that the lunar calendar from February 11 to 13th of every year is the sea god birthday, and 13th is the birth which is named the Polo birth. At that day, every family of the near 15 townships all makes glutinous rice dumplings or does package pastries, Some townships also ask the province port famous class Guangdong opera (Cantonese Opera) group to act in a play so as to add to the fun, at the same time the temporary palace Bodhisattva can parade to various townships, communicate with each other, and worship in the temple. 15 villages prepare the national celebration implements, fluttering sound and music. The boys and girls then are colorfully made up and lift the idol Bodhisattva that consecrates to patrol in every place of the town. Various work places all build "the tribute awning", where exhibit three domestic animals, the seafood, the pastry, the candy, the food and drink so as to offer a sacrifice to the Bodhisattva.

The villagers near the temple also have the custom of making Polo chicken on the Polo birth. Because the discovery of the Xida Sikong (a famous god)'s corpse was based on the guidance of the "god chicken", the people then use paper and clay to make the shape of cock and worship in the temple. Whenever Polo birth, the villagers then seize the opportunity to make more such "good Chicken "to sell along the road, so this kind of clay sculpture chicken is called "the Polo Chicken".The fable once said that some people who bought a chicken that be able to cry got rich, then the people chase in a swarm to buy in order to gain fortunate.

The frame of the Polo chicken is made with the cardboard, it externally applies the clay, then people glues colorful chicken feather on it. Most are the roosters, but there are also the hen and the chicken. Because the beautiful and lovable appearance of the Polo chicken depends entirely on the chicken feather, therefore gives birth such enigmatic folk similes, "The Polo chicken depends on the fence."

During the Polo birth period, the South China Sea temple (Temple of South China Sea God) area is extremely lively, seas of people sell the Polo chicken, the Polo symbol, the toy, food, the daily necessities. As well, people act the lion dance, make the snakes, and practice Wu Shu. In a word, everything is expected to find there. In recent years, the Polo birth comes every year; people then enjoy the Polo festival with families and friends. On the approximately 200 meter temples village road, there shows the scene of heavy traffic. The people struggle to select and purchase the lifelike Polo chicken and all kinds of folk handicrafts.

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Editor: Carrot Chan