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“Hengchun Chiang Ku” is a kind of special ceremony which has been passed down for several hundred years. The activity is to save homeless ghosts and show reverence to the ancestors. The word of “Ku” means the stuff to relieve the poor. The reason is that people were poor in the past and their three meals were not stable. Therefore, the rich of the region distributed the sacrifices to the poor after Pudu on July 15 of every year. However, many people fight for the offerings and get injured during the process of distribution. In order to avoid hurting people, a competition was designed to fight for the offerings which were placed on the Ku canopy. The competition is called “Vertical Ku canopy.”
「恆春搶孤」是普渡中的一種特殊儀式，習俗已傳承幾百年，搶孤活動欲表達超渡孤魂、慎終追遠的涵意，而所謂的「孤」，是指救濟孤貧的物品。因為早期恆春人的生活貧苦、物資缺乏，三餐不繼，每年農曆七月十五日普渡後，有錢人會將祭拜的用品發給孤貧，不過在分發孤品的時候常發生搶奪受傷情形，後來才設計出「豎孤棚」的比賽方法，來爭取孤棚上的物品，避免不必要的傷害。 The activity is held by a person serving as the host on July 15 of the Lunar Calendar (The Chungyuan Festival) for a triennial at the East Gate of Henchun, South Taiwan. The canopy consists of four wooden pillars twelve meters high and the pillars are covered by tallow. This makes it difficult to climb up . There must be five members in a group and they have to work together with human pyramid and rope to climb to the top to get offerings and flag. However, there is great difficulty for climbers to get to the top of platform. They have to cross the platform with overhead kick to finish the ceremony. 恆春搶孤每三年一科，於農曆7月15日(中元節)，由爐主負責在古城東門旁舉辦。孤棚是由4支長12公尺的木柱所搭設，每五人為一組，紛紛以疊羅漢的方式，並運用繩索奮力向上攀爬，而棚柱上皆塗滿滑膩牛油，更0608_民間信仰_宗教活動_恆春搶孤增攀爬難度。當搶孤手好不容易地爬到頂端時，還須以倒掛金鉤的技巧方能翻上孤棚，然後取下順風旗，完成搶孤儀式。 |
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There are some taboos when the canopy is being constructed:
- All of the staff must eat vegetarian food.
- People whose family pass away or a woman who is recovering form childbirth must not approach.
- Women must not touch the instruments for the ceremony.
- Do not touch the canopy before the ceremony or it will cause a disaster.
- All attendants must not have sex seven days before the ceremony.
- People who attend the funeral three days before the competition must go to the Chupu altar to fast. During the sacrifice, all of the toiletries must be new and people must wear new clothes, shoes, and socks in the competition.
- 上下主普壇的人員必須吃素齋戒。
- 戴孝者或坐月子的婦女不得接近。
- 女性不得碰觸孤棚祭儀法器。
- 比賽前不得觸碰孤棚，否則會引來災禍。
- 賽前七天，所有參與活動的人嚴禁行房
- 參加喪禮賽前三天都要進主普壇齋戒，祭拜期間沐浴的盥洗用具都得是全新的，比賽當天也要穿戴新衣、新鞋、新襪。
