The commencement of land and sacrifice is an indispensable traditional ritual before building a house.
The so-called "district sacrifice" means using the help of an intermediary like a priest to send greetings to the gods or spirits who have always lived in the land, and to apply for the use of this land in order to ensure peace in the house and harmony between man and gods.
For most slightly larger shrines, holding local town festivals for local residents is indeed one of the most common businesses on weekdays, but Fuyun Shrine is an exception.
Because except for Zonggu, who joined in April, there is no second male clergyman in the society who can be called "priests", all of them are witches.
Although there are no gender-based regulations, most clients want to preside over the priest who preside over their homeland sacrifices. They are at least mature and steady male priests, rather than witches who can work part-time as ordinary high school students.
As for another male in the shrine, namely Miyashi Sugawara Takayuki, he was quite diligent in his early years, but now he regards the Shinto rituals such as presiding for the cemetery as a symbol of certain identity or wealth, and never accepts ordinary people.
Family commission.
After a while, nearby residents and construction companies gradually learned that Fuyun Shrine had not received a commission from the presidency of the local town festival for many years.
Until this morning, Zong Gu agreed to the client who came to the door by himself.
"Is this address...I know."
After taking the note, Kyoko glanced at the address and said, "At 2 o'clock this afternoon, we will come to the door to hold a land ceremony for Ms. Yamazaki's house."
Ms. Yamazaki nodded, then said with a little hesitation: "If you pay for it..."
Kyoko's face had no expression, "That's a gift to the gods, just look at it."
"Ah... OK, I get it."
After asking some other things he cared about, Ms. Yamazaki left the shrine.
The sun is getting higher and higher.
When Soya looked at the sky and retracted his gaze, he found Kyoko looking at him.
"……I see."
She smiled.
"It's still early, I'll go find information about Shinto Rituals. Student Soya is here to get familiar with it."
"good."
Kyoko left temporarily and turned around and walked into the social office.
When she came out again, she handed him two books and a note together.
"The ceremony of the Dizhen Festival is not complicated. Student Zong Gu can understand the whole process by reading it once. One thing to note is that when 'Cultivating the Postscript', the tone of reciting the sacrifice to the gods..."
Before the sun rose to the center of the sky, Soya stayed beside Kyoko, flipping through books and notes she had compiled, and seized time to learn the ritual process of the Dizhen Festival.
......
"No problem?"
Driving the car, Noma Nan glanced at Soya next to him, "The client's residential base is ahead."
"I guess so."
"Don't be nervous." She slowed down. "Ordinary people can't see anything. If you forget the ritual process, you shake the mattress and pretend to worship the gods. Kyoko and I will remind you."
“…”
Zong Gu shook his head and had already put on a thick light blue hunting suit.
“It’s really okay.”
"Is that true? It depends on you, Master Zonggu."
To hold a temple festival, you need to build a sacred seat and a pedestal. You have to bring something from the shrine. Noma Nan just came to be a driver for them.
Stopped the car, Soya opened the door and helped Kyoko in the back seat carry it together.
Noma Nan did not do anything except driving, but dealt with the client couple and the construction company, explaining the points that need to be paid attention to during the ceremony.
"That priest is so young..."
"Ah... he does look younger, but he has been in the industry for five or six years and has a very rich experience in hosting the local town festival, so there is no need to worry at all."
When they arrived at the homestead, the construction company had already circled the specific location of the house with a rope around it.
Walking to the middle of the open space, Soya and Kyoko began to build a platform, and then placed the divine position in the middle.
The sake, fruits, rice and other offerings prepared by Yamazaki and his wife were placed on the platform, and then a few Hsinchus were inserted around them. Soya took a deep breath and the ceremony was almost ready to begin.
"Wait a moment……"
Kyoko walked up to him, pulled the priest uniform on her body, and adjusted the black hat on her head.
"Is it hot?" she whispered.
Zong Gu nodded and waved the tablet in his hand again, "I would have loved it if this was a fan..."
Kyoko chuckled, "The fan was taken by a woman."
He sighed in a low voice.
"Let's get started."
"Um."
Holding a tablet in hand, Zong Gu stood in front of the throne, and the client and his wife and two construction company staff also gathered here.
When he beat the divine drum, he announced that the ceremony had officially begun.
Everyone bowed to God.
Then, Zong Gu picked up the imperial coins folded by white paper, first swept the divine position of Yuedu, followed by the small pile of soil on the ground, and finally came to the client couple with their heads down, in front of their
He waved his head a few times.
Before returning to the throne, he took a deep breath, and then began to chant a long prayer prayer that was smoothly built in Kyoko's special tone.
The two witches stood aside, looking at the priest and the person in front of them, with a solemn expression.
Cultivate the rituals of the rituals, recite the words of the gods, spread the rice and salt... According to the established process, Zong Gu continued the ceremony in an orderly manner.
During this period, there are also parts that require the homeowner and the construction company to participate.
"Hey, hey, oh!"
Yamazaki and his wife and two staff members picked up wooden shovels and shouted, shoveling the pile of soil three times.
Then came the "Yu Chuan Feng Dian", and the family of the newly built house gave the "Yu Chuan", that is, the branches of Yangtong, to offer the gods.
"Please rotate the 'jade string' half a circle clockwise, with the root facing the god."
Soya reminded him when he handed the branches to Yamazaki and his wife.
The two of them did as they did, and he continued to remind him: "Two gifts, two slaps, and one gift."
After reading a few more congratulations, Zong Gu poured a glass of sake for the four people in front of him and himself at the same time, and finally raised his glass.
"Cheers please."
The four adults drank the sake with different expressions, and he poured the cup on the mound.
After removing all the offerings, Zong Gu took out the magic talisman of the house and handed it over to the owner.
"Please put the 'town' high place in the room and wait until the house is built, and then send it back to Fuyun Shrine."
"Ah, OK..."
After taking the talisman of the house, Ms. Yamazaki handed over an envelope tied with a three-color rope strap, which read "First Spicy Material", which means the gift of the gods.
Zong Gu took it and pinched it quietly for a few times, but he didn't feel how many ten thousand yuan notes were stuffed inside.
The Dizhen Festival ends here, and after this complete ritual process, nearly an hour has passed.
Soya and Kyoko packed up their things, and Noma Nan said a few auspicious words about building smoothly and having a healthy family, and then returned to the car.
"How much?"
“…”
Zong Gu took out the exquisite envelope for Chusui material, "Do you open it now?"
"Then otherwise let Zonggu deliver the gift to the god?"
"OK."
"Okay, open it up soon."
Open the envelope and inside are five brand new Fukuzawa Yukichi.
"Is it fifty thousand yen...it's not a small amount."
Noma Nan took a photo and couldn't remember what year it was last time he had obtained the share from the gift of the Dizhen Festival.
"This is mine, you two will be separated from the rest."
Unexpectedly, the gifts that were worshipped to the gods were about to be divided before they could return to the shrine. Soya shook his head and handed the entire envelope to Kyoko behind him.