Activities honor "Heavenly Mother"

This article was written by Rita Fang and published by the Taiwan Journal on April 14, 2006. It reports that in February 2006, devotees of the goddess Matsu performed a Sacred Peace Lantern lighting ritual outside the 200-year-old Jenlan Temple in Taichung County's Dajia Township. The purpose of the ritual was to ask the Goddess of the Sea to reveal her preferred date and time for embarking on the annual Matsu Pilgrimage. Eventually, it was revealed that the most auspicious moment would be at 11:05pm on March 25, 2006.

During the eight-day pilgrimage, a glass-encased statue of Matsu was carried on a sedan chair from its residence at the Jenlan Temple through Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties and back. The round trip covered a distance of 280 kilometers and was usually attended by hundreds of thousands of followers. The Pilgrimage is always conducted prior to Matsu's birthday, which is on the 23rd day of the third lunar month. In 2006, it is Matsu's 1,046th birthday.

Matsu worshipping is popular along the coast of southern China and Southeast Asia. When the first Han Chinese migrants arrived at Taiwan some 400 years ago, they also brought Matsu with them. Today, the Matsu statue worshipped at the Jenlan Temple is participarly revered among the Goddess of the Sea's devotees in Taiwan because it is said to have been brought to Taiwan from a temple on Meizhou Island, in China's Fujian Province.

So, on March 25, at the appointed time, Matsu's palanquin set out from the Jenlan Temple. The palanquin was surrounded by a huge crowd of devotees who strained to touch it for good luck. Many followers kneeled by the roadside or thew themselves down on the road in front of the palanquin, seeking redemption and good fortune. The roads were piled with firecrackers and burning ghost money. Along the way, local people also provided palanquin bearers and other pilgrims with food and refreshments.

The pilgrimage is marked by eight ceremonies. The initial three are conducted at the Jenlan Temple. They are Praying for Peace, Mounting the Sacred Palanquin, and Departure. During the Praying for Peace ceremony, itineraries of the eight-day tour are read to Matsu, and her blessings are requested for all of the pilgrims and a peaceful journey.

The next four ceremonies are performed at the Fongtian Temple in Chiayi County's Hsingang Township. They are Mid-Journey Worship, Praying for Happiness, Birthday Celebration, and Send-off. The final Homecoming ceremony is performed upon Matsu's return to the Jenlan Temple.

During the Birthday Celebration at the Fongtian Temple on March 29, representatives of the temple and other devotees gathered to pray for Matsu's external existence. It was an emotional expression of love and caring for the Goddess of the Sea, with the same kind of personal intimacy that one would show his or her loved ones. Indeed, to her followers, Matsu is like a loving mother. Along the pilgrimage, the "Heavenly Mother" is able to visit and further inspect more than 80 temples that are devoted to her.

After the Birthday Celebration, the pilgrims set out on the return trip. The statue of Matsu returned to the Jenlan Temple on April 2, 2006.

The aforementioned divination ritual on February 12 also marked the beginning of the 2006 Taichung County Matsu International Festival. The event featured a series of cultural, entertainment and educational activities in Dajia and other places in Taichung County. A special Matsu-themed photography exhibition will also take place at the Taichung County Seaport Art Center from May 18 to June 4.

This article provides details on the wide range of activities held during the 2006 Taichung County Matsu International Festival. For example, two exhibitions were held at the Jenlan Temple. One was a display of Matsu-related antiquities, while the other featured a large solid-gold Matsu statue, as well as garments and accessories that were used to adorn the statue. Each year, the Jenlan Temple provides the statue of Matsu a new set of finery on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month. In other Matsu temples around Taiwan, the statue generally receives new clothing only when donations are made by devotees who want to thank the goddess for answering their prayers.

During the 2006 Taichung County Matsu International Festival, performing groups from Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Central America, Africa and Taiwan's aboriginal tribes were invited to perform at the Jenlan Temple. Other activities included outdoor landscape painting contests and acrobatic and martial arts performances. More than 30 martial arts masters from Taiwan, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Macau displayed their fighting techniques in Dajia Township from March 31 to April 2.

Finally, an oil painting exhibition of 45 works was held during the festival. The creator of these paintings, Wu Wen-yao, grew up near the Jenlan Temple and witnessed many Matsu pilgrimage activities. Some of his works are realistic depictions of pilgrimage scenes, while others are his imaginative renderings of Matsu-related religious and mythological themes.

The two-day 2006 International Conference of Dajia Matsu will take place from April 15 to 16. Panelists from universities in Taiwan, Japan and Belgium will discuss the significance of Matsu-related religious history and traditions with hundreds of participants.