The annual Mazu pilgrimage kicked off with thunderous cheers and the roar of firecrackers at 11 p.m. April 6 at Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia Township, Taichung City, central Taiwan, as an estimated crowd of 200,000 worshippers joined the goddess of the sea on a nine day, 340-kilometer southbound journey.
Earlier that day at 5 p.m., ROC President Ma Ying-jeou officiated the opening ceremony where the temple’s two Mazu statues were seated in a palanquin.
The president said it was the eight consecutive year he had joined the pilgrimage. The Dajia Mazu idol, and especially its pilgrimage, has been an important Taiwan folk custom since the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945), he said.
According to Ma, the more than 300-kilometer long pilgrimage is a significant event for local believers, and has been listed by U.S.-based Discovery Channel as one of the world’s three biggest religious ceremonies. There are now more than 200 million Mazu worshippers worldwide, making the goddess a major world religious figure, he added.
Vice President Wu Dun-yih commenced the procession and placed a hand on Mazu’s palanquin to help the goddess progress through the jostling scene. An NT$1 million (US$32,900) firework display launched from the bridge across Dajia River lit up the sky as Mazu left the city.
The goddess will make eight temple calls along the way before returning to Dajia. As pervious pilgrimages have shown, the procession could be disrupted more than once by palanquin-robbing worshippers, who believe a visit by Mazu to their towns or business establishments means good fortune. (SDH)