台南市的關帝信仰

Abstract

關羽，為三國時代的名將。死後，地方人士開始建廟祭祀。其忠義勇武精神為官方認可，進而加以追封、提高神格，成為全國性普受奉祀的神祇。 台南市為台灣最早開發之地區，關帝信仰即於此區開始發展。透過官方的極力倡導，關帝廟在鄭清時期已為數頗多。日治時期及戰後的宗教政策差異，也對關帝信仰發展趨勢有極大影響。 因崇拜關帝的信眾多樣，台南市的關帝廟也有各類型的不同。官祀武廟，為官方利用神道以設教；軍祀關帝廟，提供軍人祈求戰事順利之所；民祀關帝廟，是移民祈福避禍的信仰寄託；鸞堂，則實現地方士紳對儒家「立、立功、立言」三不朽的追求。 時代的更迭變化，影響各類型發展極大。其中，唯有民祀的關帝廟，能在地方境民的崇奉中，始終香火鼎盛。

Kuan, Yu was a famous general in the Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China. After he died, civilians started to build temples in commemoration of him. The government ennobled him posthumously and promoted him to a higher rank of god in recognition of his loyalty, righteousness, courageousness and chivalrousness. Ever since then, he has been worshiped nationwide. Tainan City is one the earliest developed places in Taiwan, so the cult of Kuan, Yu began to spread from this place. Owing to the government's utmost promulgation, there were quite a number of temples of Kuan, Yu (i.e., Kuan Di Temple) in the Ching Dynasty. Yet the government's religious policies during the Japanese occupation period and the post War II period had tremendous influence on the cult of Kuan, Yu. Because of the diversified employment backgrounds of Guan, Yu's believers, there are several types of Kuan Di Temple in Tainan City. The government-owned Kuan Di Temple is called "Wu Temple", which serves as a facility for educating civilians through the god's discipline. The military-owned Kuan Di Temple is used to pray for victory in war. The private Kuan Di Temple is a religious belief center to pray for good fortune and avoid misfortune for many who migrated from China and settled down in Taiwan. As for Luan Halls, they are places for local gentry to practice asceticism in order to attain the Confucianism's three forms of immortality -" virtue, achievement and speech". The change of times has hugely affected development of these types of Kuan Di Temple, in which the private Kuan Di Temple is the only one that remains prosperous and worshiped by the majority of Kuan, Yu's believers through the years.