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Each
spring, Taichung county's Dajia (Tachia)
town becomes a busy hive of religious
and tourist activity as preparations
for the goddess Matsu's birthday celebrations
take place. Matsu, who came to Taiwan
with 17th-century immigrants from Fujian
province, is the most worshipped deity
in Taiwan with hundreds of temples around
the island devoted to her.
There
are a number of stories about the origins
of Matsu. One of the most popular is
that her earthly incarnation was born
into a Sung Dynasty fishing family in
Fujian. She was highly intelligent and,
by the age of 10, was chanting Buddhist
scriptures day and night. By the age
of 16, she caught the attention of the
gods, who gave her a special amulet,
used to communicate with the gods, drive
off evil spirits, avert disasters, cure
the sick and rescue ships from disaster.
Instead of dying, she is said to have
ended her life on Earth by climbing a
mountain. When she reached the peak,
the clouds suddenly parted and she was
spirited upward. Following her ascension,
her spirit frequently appeared to save
shipwreck victims and, thus, became known
as the guardian deity of sailors and
fishermen.
Matsu's
birthday falls on the 23rd day of the third
lunar month, but is usually celebrated
earlier with a pilgrimage to sister Matsu
temples. The pilgrimage procession starts
from the Chenlan Temple in Dajia and goes
hundreds of kilometers through Taichung,
Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties before
returning to Dajia eight days later.
Matsu
takes part in the journey in the form
of a statue, respectfully carried by
her followers in a sedan chair. A number
of companions in the form of large puppets
create a colorful parade. These include
her "bodyguards", who also
serve as her eyes and ears. At the front
of the procession is a person who acts
as a messenger, striking a handheld gong
to announce Matsu's arrival.
The
start of this procession is the highlight
of what has become a month-long international
festival designed to help more people
to learn about Matsu's history and culture,
and to boost local tourism. This year,
the festival starts in early March and
continues until April 24. The procession
will begin around 10 p.m. on April 17,
with thousands of well wishers crowding
the streets of Dajia to see Matsu off,
and a parade featuring lion dances, floats,
a variety of performing artists, the
lighting of piles of firecrackers and
the sounds of gongs and drums. Preparation
festivities begin in the afternoon at
about 3 p.m. This is one of Taiwan's
largest folk religion rituals and is
extremely colorful, loud and lively.
During the month-long festival, there
are exhibitions related to Matsu and
folk cultural performances in and around
the Chenlan Temple. To emphasize that
this is an international festival, organizers
have invited musical groups from around
the world to perform.
The
Chenlan Temple itself is worth a visit.
It was established in 1732 as a shrine
for an image of Matsu brought from Fujian
Province two years earlier. The shrine
was rebuilt as a small temple in 1770,
and expanded to its present impressive
size over the past 200-plus years.
For
more information about the 2004 Dajia
Matsu International Culture Festival,
go online to http://mazu.taichung.gov.tw
or call the Taichung County Cultural
Bureau at (04) 2526-0136. |
