Haohui Liu

“walking the gods” aka 游神(You Shen), is a ceremony performed by believers of folk beliefs in East and Southeast Asia during festivals, divine birthdays or ceremonies. The believers invited the walking statues into the mikoshi, and then carried them out of the temples to parade along the street, accepting incense worship from the people, implying that the gods descended from the people, visited the village, and blessed the peace of the environment. This is a rare time of the year when most of the villagers who have gone to the big cities to work for a living gather together to contribute their strength and spirit to their faith and family traditions. The wave of urbanization has hit, but "You Shen" seems to be a temporary safe harbour for people to let go of the aggression and fierce struggle they have suffered in the big city and vent out through such a ritual to welcome the new year with a new spirituality.