Chai Chin., lit. “fasting”; one of the most important festivals of religious Taoism (tao-chiao), known since its beginnings. In the official state ritual chai designates a fast before sacrifices. In Taoism the term refers to feasts held under the direction of a master, at which a specific number of pupils (between six and thirty-eight) participate. These feasts serve mainly for the confession of sins, which are considered to be the cause of all illness.
Every school of religious Taoism celebrates its own fasts. These are particularly important in the t’ai-p’ing tao, wu-tou-mi tao, and the ling-pao p’ai. One of the best-known ceremonies is the t’u-t’an chai a fast during which the participants smear themselves with charcoal.
Chai ceremonies are very complicated, so that those participating at them require detailed instruction. They are usually held in the courtyards of Taoist monasteries and may extend over several days. After a platform of strictly prescribed dimensions its sides limited by ropes has been erected, the participants, holding hands, step onto it. Their hair is tousled and their faces are covered with coal dust and dirt to signify their remorse. To the accompaniment of a drum, the master of the ceremony implores various deities to attend the feast. There follows a recitation of sins and their possible consequences. At this point the religious ecstasy of the participants reaches its peak. They throw themselves to the ground and roll in the dust to demonstrate their repentance. As the twelve vows of repentance are recited, the participants touch their foreheads to the ground and ask for their sins to be forgiven. The ceremony ends with further rituals. These collective repentance sessions are held three times daily, but participants are allowed only one meal each day. The resultant physical exhaustion produces a psychic collapse, which effects an inner purification.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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