嘉義市光路里武當山玄天上帝廟有一項極富特色的宗教民俗活動──「鞦韆賽會」,在全台玄天上帝信仰中,光路里是唯一舉辦盪鞦韆活動以酬謝神恩的地方。關於鞦韆賽會形成的源由有著不同的傳說,鞦韆賽會的演變與歷史正與之有著密不可分的關係,傳說背後又蘊涵著光路里的歷史演變。鞦韆賽會流傳至今,因時代潮流的改變,一躍成為「嘉義市鞦韆節」,這個改變對當地居民的生活也產生了新的影響。本文以嘉義市光路里的武當山玄天上帝廟為中心,並以市府極力推廣全台唯一的鞦韆賽會為主題,嘗試爬梳相關流變情形,探討時至今日該盛會背後的文化意義與行銷策略,並兼論其活動與 光路里地方社區營造的關係。
“Swing Festival” is a characteristic folk activity of the temple of Xuantian-Shangdi in Guang Lu Village, Chiayi City. Guang Lu Village is the only one place to hold “Swing Festival” for thanksgiving ritual for the belief in Xuantian-Shangdi in Taiwan. There are diverse legends about the formation of “Swing Festival”, especially the relationship between history and “Swing Festival” was very close. For the trend of cultural tourism, Guang Lu Village’s “Swing Festival” has been shifted to Chiayi City’s “Swing Festival”. The livings of residents in Guang Lu Village were influenced hugely by this change. The objective of this study is the “Swing Festival” of Xuantian-Shangdi in Guang Lu Village, Chiayi City. This study explored the evolution, cultural meaning and marketing strategies of “Swing Festival”. Moreover, the relationship between folk activity and community development of Guang Lu Village has been discussed.