At the beginning of the ceremony, people began to "make up" the king's boat: the front of the bow was patterned with a lion's head, and flags were planted on both sides according to the rules, called Zuo Qinglong and Right White Tiger. There is a big dragon painted on the front of the stern, and there is a red flag on the front and back of the ship, which is "Kiki House Chitose Sky Patrol".
There are 60 paper figures above the ship's rail, representing different identities such as "heavenly generals and sailors". The sequence of flag planting is absolutely correct, and someone carefully checked it with a sequence book.
Carefully "dressed up" the king's boat was watched by a special person, stopped at the end of the sand slope, and drew a circle of open space around it to avoid hull injury. The size and structure of the king's ship are similar to those of a real ship, and there is no shortage of masts and sails. It is said that the ship can still run in the water.
According to the ancient ceremony, the activity of "sending the king boat" lasted for five days, and folk activities such as fasting and Taiwanese opera performances crossed. Wonderful programs such as drum umbrella, dragon dance and Taiwanese opera were staged one after another.
At about 3 pm, the fixture under the hull was taken away, and the king ship began to move slowly with the wheels under the "abdomen". Nearly 300 people formed 9 performance teams marching at the same time, with a total length of nearly 200 meters. As they walked, they staged dragon dances, lion dances, drum umbrellas and other programs to clear the way for the king's boat. The long dragon walked along the highway and slowly walked to the nearby seaside.
When the team arrived at the seaside, it was at low tide. The climax of the activity was to turn the boat into a fire, and the organizers prepared sacrifices such as pig heads, pig bellies, chickens, ducks and fish for worship. Hundreds of offerings were wrapped in red bags, including firewood, rice, oil, salt and dishes sent by pilgrims.
Subsequently, the sacrifice was thrown into the sea and slowly drifted away. This is not only to worship the gods, but also to comfort the spirits of people who have been buried in the sea.
Subsequently, the ignition ceremony began. At this time, the king's boat was parked on the beach, with its bow facing the sea. The children made a fire with paper money, and then everyone came forward to help. After a while, the flames were blazing, and there was a "crackling" burning sound from the hull of the king's ship.
The fishermen and believers present knelt on their knees and silently prayed to God for peace, good luck and good fortune.
The fire rode the wind and the ship gradually disappeared into the raging fire. Two hours later, the king's boat was completely reduced to ashes, and the onlookers turned around and slowly left. At the next high tide, the ashes of the ship will be taken away, symbolizing that all the sacrifices have been given.