米龜、麵龜、黃金龜──澎湖人的元宵祈福，乞龜

沿著北斗七星排列的陣形、民眾將火苗、煙氣由雙手傳遞至全身，各廟前排隊等待乞龜的民眾絡繹不絕，雙手合十口中念念有詞、誰都想連續擲到好幾個聖杯，除了能拿到廟裡提供的各式獎品之外，好似新的一年更有了福氣的加持。

元宵節在澎湖比農曆過年除夕還熱鬧，自農曆1月15日起連續慶祝3天，許多廟宇更提前起跑展開活動。乞龜是澎湖獨特的傳統，居民在元宵節向神明祈求來年的豐收與平安後，會拿到肪片龜，象徵獲得祝福，而後各廟宇更發展出不同特色與造型的「烏龜」互相較勁。

Aligned in the formation of the Big Dipper, people pass the flame and smoke from their hands to their entire bodies. Crowds line up in front of the temples, waiting to participate in the Begging Turtles Ritual. With hands clasped and prayers on their lips, everyone hopes to cast successful moon blocks, not only to win the various prizes offered by the temple but also to receive the blessings for the new year.

In Penghu, the Lantern Festival is even more lively than Lunar New Year’s Eve, with celebrations lasting three consecutive days starting from the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. Many temples start their activities even earlier. Begging Turtles is a unique tradition in Penghu where, after praying to the gods for a bountiful harvest and peace in the coming year, residents receive a turtle-shaped token as a symbol of blessings. Over time, various temples have developed their own distinct styles and designs of these 'turtles,' competing with one another in creativity.

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