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Hue-tsiau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hue-tsiau (Chinese: 火鳥; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hué-tsiáu; lit. 'firebird') is a legendary bird in Taiwanese folklore associated with fire. Unlike mythical creatures such as phoenix, it is known for causing fires.

Legend

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According to the legend, the hue-tsiau often appears at night, and if it perch on a rooftop, a fire will break out in that house. Only Taoist priests and senior Buddhist monks can see it. If there is a bird's mating call from the roof or a dog inexplicably runs up onto the roof, it may be a sign of the hue-tsiau's presence. In such cases, it is necessary to invite a Taoist priest to host a fire prevention ritual.

Ordinary people cannot see the hue-tsiau, but during a raging fire, it will definitely circle in the sky, at which point even ordinary people will be able to see it.[1][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 何敬堯 (2017-01-05). 火鳥. 聯經出版公司. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ 片岡巖 (1921). 臺灣風俗誌. 臺灣日日新報社.