The practice of fasting and praying dates back to ancient times. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were already terms such as “fasting,” “prayer,” and “altar,” which are recorded in the “Book of Rites,” “Book of Changes,” “Gao Tang Fu,” “Historical Records,” and other books and documents, indicating that the Taoist fasting and praying rituals originated from ancient Chinese prayer rituals.

  During the Eastern Han Dynasty, before the birth of Taoism, in the 8th year of Emperor Ming's reign (65), the imperial court issued an edict to King Ying of Chu, ordering him to recite the teachings of Huang Lao, to visit the temple of the Buddha, to fast for three months, and to swear an oath with vowed to the gods. After the birth of Taoism, Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty also personally worshipped Laozi at Zhuolong, with a sacrificial altar decorated with pure gold ornaments and a canopy, and with music played in the sacrificial rites (see “The Book of the Later Han Dynasty”). It can be seen that at this time, the prayer of the sacrifice not only had an altar and offerings, but also music – the music of the sacrifice.

  During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Taiping Dao already had rituals for praying to the heavens and expressing thanks. The Wudoumi Dao also had rituals such as the “Tu Tan Zhai” and “Zhi (or Zhi) Jiao Zhai,” in which the worshipper “paints his face with yellow soil and hangs his head upside down.” The rituals were simple.

  In addition, the Wudoumi Dao also had a “three-official handwritten” prayer for the sick. The specific method was: “Write the patient's surname and character, and the meaning of wearing a sin. Make three passes, one of which is on the mountain, on the mountain, one buried in the ground, and one sunk in the water.” (See “Three Kingdoms: Zhang Lu Biography”) Although this ritual is very simple, it already has the rudiments of the ritual in the ritual.

  According to the “Wei Shu·Shi Lao Zhi” records, Zhang Daoling, at the beginning of his teaching, taught some of the sacrificial rites in the “Tiangong Zhangben” and made his disciples “each become a Taoist,” so the event became popular. The “Tiangong Zhangben” can be considered the earliest ritual book.

  In short, this period was the pioneering stage of Taoist rituals, so the rituals were very simple in both content and form, but it is undeniable that the ritual of fasting and praying was born.

  During the Eastern Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the rituals of the Daoist sects were gradually developed into a complete set of rituals and procedures by the Daoist priests of the Shangqing and Lingbao sects. In the second year of the Xingning reign (364) of the Eastern Jin Emperor Ai, Yang Xi and Xu Mi, disciples of Lady Wei, established the Shangqing Altar on Mount Mao, using the seal of the “Nine Old Immortals”. During the Long'an period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (397-401), Ge Hong's grandson Ge Chaofu wrote more than 30 volumes of the “Lingshu Jing,” which was further revised by Lu Xiuqing of the Southern Dynasties and became widely popular. He established the “Lingshu Xuantan” on Mount Guzaoshan and used the “Yuan Shi Zongtan” seal and the “Yuan Shi Wan Shen” bronze seal.

  During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Taoist priest Kou Qian-zhi was the first to reform the northern Tianshi Dao, advocating the use of ritual music, and changing the chanting of scriptures from “straight chanting” to “intonation chanting.” From then on, the chanting of scriptures during the ritual had a musical element. Kou Qian-zhi's “New Rules for Intonation Chanting in the Clouds” and “Book of Oracles and Genuine Scriptures” further developed and perfected the ritual.

  After Kou Qian, the Taoist Lu Xiu Jing of the Lingbao sect of the Southern Song Dynasty also reformed the Tianshi Dao in the south. He revised the ritual procedures for the sacrificial ceremonies based on the Three Cave Classics. He wrote more than 100 volumes of sacrificial ritual procedures, including different sacrificial rituals such as the Six Sacrificial Ceremonies, the Nine Sacrificial Ceremonies, and the Twelve Sacrificial Ceremonies, as well as various sacrificial music pieces such as the “Ascending to the Immortal Realm” chapter.

  After being revised by Kou Qian and Lu Xiu Jing, the ritual procedures gradually took shape and became more complete. By the time of the Sui Dynasty, it had basically stagnated, but it was still valued.

  The ritual of the sacrifice gradually became popular with the development of Taoism during the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties.

  In the tenth year (722) and twenty-ninth year (741) of the Kaiyuan reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he decreed that two temples of the Emperor Xuanyuan be built in the two capitals and various provinces, and that a ceremony be held there every year according to Taoist methods. During this time, he also “personally taught Taoist priests the sounds and rhythms of the void” in the Taoist temple, and decreed that Taoist priests Sima Chengzhen and Li Hanguang compose the “Xuanzhen Taoist Songs” and “Great Luotian Songs.”

  When Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne (841), he summoned Taoist priests Zhao Guizhen and 81 others to the Forbidden City to build a golden Taoist altar in the Three Palaces. The emperor visited the Three Palaces and received the Taoist scriptures at the Nine Heavens Altar.

  Du Guangting, a Taoist priest in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, was a master of Taoist rituals. He collected, organized, compiled and edited various rituals from the Southern and Northern Dynasties. On this basis, he also compiled a variety of ritual books, such as the “Taishang Zhengyi Yuezhuan Yi,” “Dongshen Sanhuang Qishierjunjianfangchanyi,” and “Daomenkefan Dazhan Ji,” which had a profound influence.

  During the reigns of the Northern Song emperors Taizong, Zhenzong, Shenzong, Zhezong and Huizong, the imperial court held jiao ceremonies, and the history of these ceremonies is well documented:

  In the second year of the Dazhongxiangfu era (1009), Emperor Zhen ordered the Taichangliyuan to determine the ritual for the Tianqing Daochang and distribute it to all the provinces.

  In the second year of the Daguang reign (1108), Emperor Huizong issued the ritual model for the Golden Seal Spiritual Treasure Daochang to the whole country, ordering Taoist priests to follow it.

  During the transition from the Jin to the Yuan dynasties, the imperial palace in the capital and famous mountains in the country (such as Longhu Mountain, Mount Menzao and Mount Mao) all held jiao ceremonies. Not only did the Zhengyi sect Taoist priests, but also the Quanzhen sect Qiu Chuji and Wang Chuyi, and the Taitian sect Xiao Zhichong and Xiao Jushou, all successively held jiao ceremonies at the behest of the Jin and Yuan emperors, and jiao ceremonies became a practice of all sects.

  After the Ming Dynasty, Taoism declined, but the rituals of the Jiao ceremony were still passed down in the folk religion. At this stage, many folk religions were rented and spread very widely, and many Jiao rituals were absorbed by folk religions. At the same time, many large-scale Jiao rituals were lost due to their inability to undertake them, and small-scale Jiao rituals were further simplified to better suit the needs of the general public; therefore, they have been passed down to the present day.

  During the Qing Dynasty, Lou Jinyuan, a Daoist official on Mount Longhu, compiled 12 volumes of ritual procedures, which were compiled into the Yellow Ritual, which became a model for modern rituals.