Buddhism was introduced into China in the Eastern Han Dynasty. At the same time, Taoism was gradually formed during this period. They had a fierce competition for survival, and gained their own foothold in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Both Tang and Song Dynasties reached their peak, and various religious activities appeared one after another. Such as Christmas celebrations, temples, temples, water and land Dojo and so on. The focus of competition between Buddhism and Taoism is the construction of temples and Taoist temples. The second is to attract believers and attract the masses. For this reason, flattering entertainment is added to their religious ceremonies.
Such as dancing, drama, outing and so on. In this way, not only good men and women are eager to enjoy it, but also many ordinary people are willing to use it to add fun. In order to win over the masses, Buddhism and Taoism often expand their influence by stepping out of the temple view. This is the case with the "walking like an elephant" activity prevalent in Buddhism in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The so-called "walking like an elephant" is a religious ceremony in which gods and Buddha statues are mounted on floats and patrolled in urban and rural areas, so it is also called "walking the city" and "patrolling the city". After Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved to Luoyang in the ninth year (AD 485), Buddhism was promoted, and a Buddha statue travel conference was held every year on Sakyamuni's birthday. The day before the Buddha's trip, all the temples in Luoyang sent the Buddha to Jingming Temple. For a long time, there were more than 1000 Buddha statues. When traveling, the team is led by lions to ward off evil spirits, and the buildings are covered with banners. Then, there are all kinds of music, juggling and excitement. Most of the temple fairs after Tang and Song Dynasties are the inheritance and development of the image activities in this period. And gradually extended to Sichuan, Huguang and Xixia. Only after the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the trend of the image declined, and few people recorded it.
In addition to the "walking statues" of Buddhism and Taoism, they also hold Dojo in temples and temples, hold some rituals or Buddhist activities regularly, and wait for believers to fast, listen and worship.
Originally belonging to folk beliefs, the newspaper people's activities of appreciating the gods have been combined with Buddhism and Taoism. Its activities gradually shifted from rural communities to Buddhist temples and Taoist temples. When Buddhism and Taoism hold various festivals and celebrations, various folk societies and social organizations also take the initiative to go to gatherings for entertainment. In this way, temples and Taoist temples have gradually become mass gathering places based on religious activities.
These religious activities are gradually secularized, which means that more people come forward to hold consultations. This change not only greatly increases the attraction and excitement of these activities, but also increases the commercial atmosphere in these activities with the strengthening of mass and entertainment. With the full assistance of religious circles and all walks of life, temple fair activities have been further developed.
Although the number and scale of temple fairs in this period have formed a magnificent situation in the whole country, as far as temple fairs are concerned, they still focus on offering sacrifices to gods, but they are relatively weak in folk trade. The temple fair was really shaped and perfected in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and even in modern times.
The early temple fair was just a grand ritual activity. With the development of economy and the need of people's communication, temple fairs are gradually integrated into market trading activities while maintaining sacrificial activities. At this time, the temple fair was named "Temple Fair" and became an important form of China market. With people's needs, the temple fair has increased entertainment activities. Therefore, visiting temple fairs in the New Year has become an indispensable part of the New Year. However, the specific contents of temple fairs in different regions are slightly different and have their own characteristics.