From ancient times to the present, people have always maintained a certain respect and fear for the deceased, especially those who died unusually, such as suicide or hanging. In many different countries, depending on different regions, there are rituals of sacrifice, purification, farewell and comfort for the souls of the deceased.
For Taiwanese people, when a person chooses to hang themselves to end their life, their relatives will often have to hold a Song Ru Tong ceremony (sending sticky rice cakes) to ward off evil spirits, hope that the deceased will be liberated and bring peace to the living.
The Song Ruozong Ritual is a long-standing folk ritual in Taiwan.
In fact, the Song Ruozong ritual is a long-standing folk ritual that is very famous in the Lukang area, Changhua province, Taiwan. Later, when the media became more developed, the creepy stories woven around this ritual began to spread, bringing great fear to the people.
Besides, horror movies inspired by the "sending sticky rice cake" ceremony further emphasize the horror, making every time Tong Nhuoc Tong is mentioned, people think of something very terrible and very evil.
The Song Ruozong Festival is believed to have originated in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China. Because Lugang is one of the important seaports in Taiwan, this folk custom was soon adopted and further developed, becoming a cultural feature of the people here.
The Song Ruozong Festival is believed to have originated in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China.
In recent years, the Song Ruozong ritual has not only been held in Lukang but has also spread to many other areas such as Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Yunlin, etc. Based on the inheritance of folk customs, each place will have different improvements, but the fear that this ritual brings to local people remains unchanged everywhere.
Song Ruozong or "sending sticky rice dumplings" is a way of saying about the ritual for the dead who died by hanging. Because Taiwanese sticky rice dumplings are often tied with ropes, it resembles the image of the dead using ropes to hang themselves. The ancients wanted to use euphemisms to show respect for the deceased, and also to make the remaining relatives feel more comforted.
Taiwanese people believe that hanging is the most horrible death and that this person must have had many grievances and injustices when he was alive. Therefore, when he dies, resentment will accumulate on the ground, in the relics left behind, and the ghost will also go around causing trouble for everyone, even looking for someone to "take his place" so that he can be reincarnated. Therefore, the purpose of the Song Ruozong ceremony is to drive away evil spirits and pray for the deceased.
This is a ritual for people who died by hanging.
Not everyone is capable of organizing a Tong Nhuoc Tong ceremony, they must be experienced monks or Taoists and the cost of this ceremony is not small. It is known that to organize a "sending banh u" ceremony costs from 50-60 thousand NT dollars (about 40-50 million VND), if the ceremony is organized by the temple, the cost can be up to 300 thousand NT dollars (about 247 million VND).
Before the ceremony takes place, the route of the Song Nhuoc Tong procession will be carefully planned. It usually starts at a temple closest to the deceased and ends at the beach or a large ditch.
Local residents were told to stay indoors during the ceremony and avoid confrontation. At the intersections of Tong Nhuoc Tong Street, altars were set up and barriers were erected with notices saying: "Sorry, please change direction".
During the ceremony, the shaman and Taoist priest will wear dragon and tiger costumes and dance the Chung Quy dance. They will use many types of magical instruments such as paper charms, bronze bells, horn trumpets, straw mats, salt, rice, brooms, etc. to begin the ritual of inviting the gods from the temple to help suppress evil spirits. Next, the shaman will use paper and grass figures, put them in a box containing votive paper money, and then carry them out of the homeowner's house.
The purpose of the Tong Nhuoc Tong ceremony is to drive away evil spirits and pray for the deceased.
The deceased's belongings must be collected. If the deceased hanged himself from a beam, part of the beam must be removed. If he hung himself from a door, the entire door must be removed. Most importantly, the rope from which the deceased was hanged must be taken.
The Song Ruzong group will set off firecrackers and beat gongs loudly along the route, while the last person in the group will continuously sweep with a broom. The deceased's belongings will be carried to the beach or a large ditch and then burned there, implying that the evil spirits will follow the water flow out to sea, unable to return.
At the end of the ceremony, everyone must be silent, no gongs or drums are allowed, quietly return to the main hall and the master will light incense, welcome the deceased's soul back to chant sutras for salvation.
The Song Nhuoc Tong group will set off firecrackers and beat gongs loudly throughout the route.
Tong Nhuoc Tong is a folk ritual that many people believe in, but there are many unfounded stories surrounding this ceremony, which further increases people's fear.
For example, there was a woman who secretly watched the Song Nhuoc Tong troupe passing by her house and then had a very fierce argument with her husband, in the end she chose to hang herself.
Another story says that a young man, out of disbelief, secretly watched the Song Ruozong ceremony from the window. Afterwards, he suddenly felt a chill and lost consciousness. Fortunately, his mother found him hanging from the beam and saved him in time. When he woke up, he had no memory of what he had done, nor did he understand why he had done such a foolish act.
There are many unfounded stories that add to people's fear of this ritual.
Besides, many people say that if you follow the rules of the Song Ruozong ceremony, there is nothing to be afraid of. Some rules are: if you follow the group, you must follow it to the end, you cannot say your name, you cannot peek at people who are not in the group, you cannot turn your head back to talk on the way back, you cannot wear necklaces or scarves, women are not allowed to participate.
Normally, local people will be asked to stay indoors and close their doors when the procession passes by. However, in case someone happens to see the ceremony, it is recommended that they join the procession until the end of the ceremony to avoid bad luck for themselves.
The Tong Nhuoc Tong ceremony is like other worship rituals, so if viewed properly and with respect, it will not bring much trouble and unnecessary fear.
