The custom of Rain-Praying Buddha Worship originated in the historically rich province west of the Taihang Mountains. Beginning in the Tang Dynasty, this region where Buddhism flourished had maintained a tradition of Rain-Praying Buddha Worship.
Every year, on designated dates—perhaps a Buddha's birthday or the day of a religious assembly—the people would climb the mountains to burn incense, worship the Buddha, attend the Temple Fair, and trade what they had for what they needed.
Even now, traces left by Buddhism could still be found there: relief carvings, Buddha statues, pagodas, and temples.
Every one was a historical treasure.
Many particularly fine examples were hailed as priceless gems.
Later, Rain-Praying Buddha Worship was simplified and passed down as a folk custom. Through generations of preservation and change, it became what it was today—a folk celebration much like the Temple Fair or the offering of the first incense. Everyone gathered to enjoy themselves, bringing simple hopes for favorable weather and a year free of calamity.
In its birthplace, it was an especially welcome celebration. In prosperous years, when the day of Rain-Praying Buddha Worship arrived, the streets emptied as everyone flocked to the mountains, jostling and pulling one another along.
All to watch craftsmen hang bells on the mountainside.
Hanging bells meant having a skilled craftsman carry a cluster of bells in his teeth and climb a perilous slope with both hands, like a mountain ape scaling a tree, then hang the bells by colorful cords among the cliffs. The steeper and more treacherous the chosen spot, the louder the cheers when he succeeded.
The larger the bells and the clearer their ringing in the wind, the more pleased everyone was.
Sometimes, even the local magistrate attended and offered prizes.
It was a way of sharing the people's joy.
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