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Craig April 30th, 2007

Among the many gods and goddesses worshipped in Taiwan, Mazu (媽祖), the Goddess of the Sea is perhaps the most revered. Every year, in the 3rd month of the lunar calendar, the Dajia Mazu (大甲媽祖), which is housed at the Zhenlan temple (鎮瀾宮), is taken out on a pilgrimage lasting 8 days and covering 300km.

Zhenlan temple, Dajia.

Over the course of the 8 days, more than 1 million people will come out to see Mazu as she makes her way from Dajia to Hsingang in Jiayi county and back again, visiting more than 80 temples. It is thought that the Mazu pilgrimage is one of the three largest religious festivals in the world.

Mazu the goddess was originally a woman named Lin Moniang (林默娘) who lived in Fujian, China during the early Song dynasty (960-1127). One day, a terrible typhoon arose while they were out at sea, and the rest of her family feared that those at sea had perished. In the midst of this storm, depending on the version of the legend, she either fell into a trance while praying for the lives of her father and brothers or dreamed of her father and brothers while she was sleeping. In either the trance or the dream, her father and brothers were drowning, and she reached out to them, holding her brothers up with her hands and her father up with her mouth. However, her mother now discovered her and tried to wake her, but she was in such a deep trance or dream that it seemed like she was dead. Her mother, already believing the rest of their family dead, now broke down, crying, believing that Lin Moniang had also just died. Hearing her mother’s cries, in pity, she gave a small cry to let her mother know she was alive, but in opening her mouth, she was forced to drop her father. Consequently, Lin Moniang’s brothers returned alive (sadly without their father) and told the other villagers that a miracle had happened and that they had somehow been held up in the water as a typhoon raged.

On the first day of the festival, thousands of people gather in Dajia to pray, offer insence and receive blessings.

Inside Zhenlan temple.

The streets around the temple are packed with various groups and devotees.

As is the courtyard in front of the Zhenlan temple, where fireworks add to the noise and spectacle.

The second day of the pilgrimage sees Mazu pass through Changhua (彰化) where she pays a visit to the Nanyao temple (南瑤宮). Before her arrival, officials at the temple prepare their own Mazu statue.

The pilgrims continue their march south over the next few days, before returning once again to Changhua, this time bound for the Tian Hou temple (天后宮), where more elaborate rituals are undertaken.

Mazu is welcomed back to Changhua with a nighttime parade through the streets, accompanied by noise, smoke, fireworks and thousands of people.

Along the way, people line up and prostrate waiting for Mazu’s palanquin to pass over them.

Violence is not uncommon, as groups from various temples compete to be the ones to carry the palanquin. Here is a minor scuffle that was quickly broken up by the police.

Mazu arrives at a temple in Changhua.

And finally, after 8 days and 300km, Mazu returns to Dajia, where another parade through the streets takes place, before returning home to the Zhenlan temple.

All images and text ©Craig Ferguson. Unauthorised use prohibited. Contact me if you wish to use any of the photos.

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• Festival , Mazu , Photos , Taiwan , Travel
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