Page:Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills.djvu/189

 was the children's feast, because they get a great deal of attention at this time.

The image of Chang Tao-ling, the ancestor of the Taoist popes, a fierce-looking idol, is carried out in an open chair with a canopy to keep off the sun or rain.

He is said to be riding a tiger probably because of the t‘ien shih (天師) belonging to Lung hu shan in Kiangsi province. When he comes out it is in style of an official, with umbrellas, flags, and boards as evidence of his position, but besides these, there are many persons dressed up as his underlings and assistants. Thus, two children, each on horseback, carry the credentials of the idol, ch‘ih shu (勅書), and the seals of office.

P‘an Kuan, the decider of fate in Hades, rides a horse in front of the idol. He is masked and in his hand he holds the book in which the fates are written. During the procession he is supposed to take note of all he sees and record it in the book.

The T‘u ti, precinct god, rides behind the decider of fates and is supposed to impersonate the Shan mên t‘u ti, who is said to control the demons of the city. On this day he comes out on a tour of inspection.

There are four judges of appeal in Hades, ssŭ chih kung ts‘ao (四值功曹). One judge holds power for a year, another for a month, and another for a day, and the fourth for one Chinese hour (two hours). These are the messengers of the idol to run at his bidding and are all impersonated on this occasion.

The five thunders, wu lei, are represented by five men riding on horses with a frame and drum (for thunder) slung on their backs, with a chisel which represents lightning in one hand and a kind of clapper in the other.

The five poisonous creatures, wu tu (五毒), are snakes, toads, spiders, centipedes, and scorpions. These are made of paper and tin-foil and carried through the streets before the idol, alternating with the five thunders.

The chicken-footed god, chi chüeh shên, is represented by a man with a hideous mask and a garment covered with