Mazu ritual spotlights Taiwan cultural traditions

2016/03/24

One of Taiwan’s oldest Mazu pilgrimages kicked off March 16 at Gongtian Temple in Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, providing a unique snapshot of local cultural and religious traditions dating back 200 years.

The annual procession attracts tens of thousands of visitors from home and abroad. This year, an estimated 20,000 devotees will take turns in carrying aloft a palanquin bearing a wooden statue of the goddess of the sea along a 400-kilometer route to Chaotian Temple in Beigang Township, Yunlin County.

Hung Wen-hua, head of Gongtian Temple’s administration office, said the pilgrimage should take 11 days and will fully test the spiritual and physical commitment of the worshippers. “Usually, fewer than 10 people can make it all the way to the end.”

But what sets the procession apart from others in Taiwan is the deity’s involvement.

“All the big questions like what date and time to start the event and which direction to take when reaching a junction are determined by Mazu,” Hung said. “She expresses her will through lots cast by temple staffers and by rocking the palanquin.”

The Mazu belief and customs were included in 2009 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the pilgrimage was designated in 2011 as one of Taiwan’s intangible cultural assets.

Starting just after midnight March 16, the procession crosses the municipalities of Miaoli, Taichung and Changhua before returning March 26 to Miaoli. A live broadcast and real-time GPS tracking of the event are available on the temple’s website.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=243133&ctNode=2194&mp=9)