王爺信仰由明清時閩粵移民攜帶香火傳入臺灣,部份地區會任由送王的王船漂流,船泊靠之地,居民設醮再送,避免瘟疫傳入,成為王爺信仰的其中一種傳播方式,因風向與海流的影響,使澎湖和西南沿海地區王爺信仰盛行,發展出在地特色,反映出各地與海洋溪流互動的關係與生活情境。
臺灣王爺信仰極為興盛,各地信奉的王爺有瘟神、厲鬼、英靈等不同系統,民間多稱「王爺公」、「千歲爺」,因溫濕多瘴的環境以及移民的需求,經過在地化,主要被認為有驅除瘟疫、保境安民的功能,此外,有些地區也認為除了行瘟、除瘟的能力,王爺更為玉皇大帝派遣的欽差,執行「代天巡狩」的任務,成為信眾重要的依靠。
王爺信仰內容相當龐雜,各地所信奉的不同性質的王爺,其祭典日期也不一。各地多擇於神祇聖誕日舉辦祭典,例如臺南的南鯤鯓代天府,每逢千歲聖誕,各地分靈廟都會前來進香;以五年千歲系統的王爺信仰祭儀為例,四年一度的農曆十月廿七日舉行大型祈安清醮祭典,例如雲林的馬鳴山鎮安宮;恭迎王爺代天巡狩的祭典,結合驅除瘟疫的科儀和代天府辦案、查夜暗訪,以及王船「遊地河」或火化之「遊天河」的方式,迎送王爺,押解瘟疫離境等等。豐富多元的迎王與送王船、建醮、刈香等祭典和信仰活動,保存著各種醮典科儀、帶動民俗藝陣發展,還有王船所承載的木作、糊紙等工藝,展現出歷史傳承與旺盛的民俗活力;王爺信仰的起源或傳播,也勾畫出土地與海洋的密切關聯,以及人對疫病的想像,面對時下疫情,仍安定著社會和人們的內心。現在王爺信仰的各項民俗活動、工藝與藝陣,已受到文化資產制度的保護,並訂定三年的保存維護計劃。
Carrying incense ashes from Fujian and Guangdong regions, immigrants introduced the Wang Ye belief system to Taiwan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In some areas, the faithful would let the ritual Wang Ye boat float naturally. Wherever the boat landed, residents would perform the ritual again before sending off the boat. It is a ceremony to prevent the spread of pandemic, which is one of the ways the Wang Ye folk belief system was spread. Due to the wind direction and sea currents, the Wang Ye belief is quite popular in Penghu and the southwestern coastal area, developing local characteristics that reflect the local interactions and relationships with creek and sea currents, and the living conditions.
The belief in Wang Ye is wide-spread in Taiwan, and the particular Wang Ye system may vary depending on the location, including the god of plagues, ghost, and heroic spirit. Known as “Wang Ye Gong” or “Thousand-Year Lord”, due to the wet and humid environment and the needs of immigrants, the deity has been localized to serve the function of expelling plagues, protecting the land, and keeping peace for the people. In addition, in some areas, Wang Ye serves as an envoy of the Jade Emperor, relied on by the public to conduct “disease-hunting patrols on behalf of heaven”.
The details of the Wang Ye belief is complex, and the ritual date differs in various locations due to different deity characteristics. Most rituals are scheduled on the birthday of the deity. For example, at the Nankunshen Daitian Temple in Tainan, during the deity's birthday, the local deities that originated from Nankunshen all return to the mother temple to pay respect. Another example is Yunlin’s Maming Mountain Zhen-An Temple that is part of the thousand-year Wang Ye quinquennial ritual system, which holds a grand ritual on October 27th in the lunar calendar once every four years to pray for peace. Rituals that welcome the Wang Ye’s hunting patrols on behalf of heaven combines the ceremony to expel plagues and diseases, discrete patrols at night on behalf of heaven, the Wang Ye boat taking an "Earth River Voyage", or incineration of the boat for a "Heavenly River Voyage" to send off Wang Ye, who would escort the plagues and diseases to leave.
The rich and diverse ceremonies welcoming the deity, the Wang Ye boat send-off, ritual preparation, and incense division ceremonies and activities preserve various ritual etiquettes, and drive the development of folk parade performances. In addition, the woodworking and pasted-paper sculpture craftsmanship showcased on the Wang Ye Boat demonstrate the continuance of historical heritage and the vitality of folk customs. The origin and spread of the Wang Ye belief also shows the close relationship between the land and the sea, and people’s imagination about diseases, enabling the public and the society to remain calm and stable when faced with any pandemic. Currently, various folk customs and activities related to the Wang Ye belief, including craftsmanship and the art of parade performances, are already under the protection of the cultural asset system, with a three-year preservation maintenance plan in place.