Popular Religion

As introduced by the Taiwan Yearbook 2006:

Taiwan's popular religion has its roots in traditional Chinese religious beliefs that emphasize polytheism and various seasonal customs and festivals. As Han people from China started to move to Taiwan during the 17th century, they brought their religion with them, which spread gradually, evolved into a unique form, and became an essential part of Taiwanese people's lives.

Like other polytheistic beliefs around the world, Taiwan's popular religion has a broad pantheon of gods and goddesses that include deities from Buddhism, Daoism, as well as famous historical figures. It also absorbed the practice of ancestor worship, and doctrines and thoughts from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. In popular religion, the universe is divided into three realms: deities; humans and deities sent to protect humans; and spirits and ghosts. The supreme deity is the Heavenly Jade Emperor, also called the Lord of Heaven. There are many other deities under him, which manage various affairs in the universe. These include Wang Mu Niang Niang (Queen Mother of the West); the Lord of the Earth; Guan Yin; Wenchang Di (the Emperor of Prospering Culture); and gods controlling natural phenomena such as thunder, lightning, wind, and fire.

As the paramount ruler over the three realms, the Heavenly Jade Emperor can grant titles to spirits, usually heroic characters when they were alive, elevating them to the status of god or goddess. The most popular example of such a deity in Taiwan is Ma Zu. Said to be born on the island of Meizhou off the coast of Fujian Province around the middle of the tenth century, Ma Zu in her mortal life was called Lin Mo-niang. Legend has it that she was of high intelligence as a little girl and was later bestowed by a deity with powers of envisioning the future, curing the ill, and rescuing people imperiled on the sea, including her own father and brothers. After her death, it is said, she continued to save people from shipwrecks, for which fishermen and other seafarers worshiped her.

The enormous popularity of Ma Zu in Taiwan can be seen in many ways: There are more than 400 temples dedicated to her throughout Taiwan; worshipers carry her effigies in processions through cities around Taiwan celebrating her birthday on the 23rd day of the third lunar month; and pilgrims escort her effigy across the Taiwan Strait back to her hometown in Fujian Province.

Another popular deity in Taiwan is Wang Ye (the Lord of Pestilence). In Taiwan, Wang Ye is in fact a representation of more than 360 lords with different surnames, and there are almost as many accounts as to their origins. It is generally believed that they were people of great merit who, after death, were tasked by the Heavenly Jade Emperor with protecting mankind from evil spirits and epidemics. The religious practices surrounding each of these celestial lords differ depending on the locality and the time of year. One of the famous rituals related to Wang Ye is Burning Wang Ye's Boat, said to drive away pestilence. This ritual is usually held in the spring and autumn in southern Taiwan.