"Pig parade" is a ceremony for folks in Chaozhou, Shantou and adjacent regions to celebrate an abundant year, which shows the panorama of a powerful nation as well as wealthy people that have ample food and clothing. This extremely grand ceremony has become a well-known event in all rural areas of Shantou.
March 5 is the traditional day for the once-a-decade celebration in Outing Street of Shanotu City. This reporter arrived early in the morning, only to find the ancestral temple over-packed with people inside and outside. Villagers from around the area came all the way to join in the fun and some villagers residing in other Chinese cities and overseas rushed to return home for sight-seeing and reunion while enhancing their friendship.
The reporter was a lucky witness to this rarely seen "pig parade" in eastern Guangdong Province. The entire ancestral temple was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and pigs were thickly dotted on large jars in the street, bringing joyful atmosphere around. With specially designed wooden shelves, the villagers held up high big pigs whose mouths were wide open with a big orange stuck inside and presented funny looks.
Large scarlet flowers were put on the pigs' back in the hope of good harvests, luckiness and auspiciousness each year. Some hosts even dressed up their big pigs with ear rings, and all people looked happy and joyful. Some also put a lamb on the back of the big pig and called that "a complete set of pig and lamb," which showed more magnificence.
According to a 94-year-old native, villagers with the same family name of the five will take turns to host a big pig parade every ten years. People with the surname of Guo, the hosts of this year's parade, presented almost 100 pigs for this pig parade. Most pigs weighed around 200 kg on the average and the heaviest one weighed 250 kilograms.
"The biggest pig will appear in the utmost front of the parade, with its weight marked in detail. The family possessing the heaviest pig is regarded as the most flourishing, and consequently each household would go for this lucky title, in the hope of another abundant year," indicated the old man.
It is learnt that after the big pig parade, participants will keep the head and present the other parts to relatives and friends so that they can embrace good fortune after eating the pork.
(China News Service March 7, 2008)
