Taiwan's annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage begins with over 50,000 people

台灣一年一度大甲媽祖繞境超過5萬人參加

Goddess Mazu and her followers are making an annual pilgrimage through 4 counties traveling over 400 km


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The annual pilgrimage of the goddess Mazu and her followers kicked off early Monday morning, April 8, in Miaoli County, attracting over 50,000 pilgrims at the start of this year's procession.

The procession from Baishatun Gongtian Temple (白沙屯拱天宮) in Miaoli’s Tongyu Township (通霄鎮) began at 1:20 a.m. and will travel south for the next 10 days. It will make stops at over 60 temples along the route, in four different counties.

The annual pilgrimage is one of the the largest folk religious traditions in Taiwan, practiced for over 200 years. Every year, the Mazu idol is carried in a sedan by followers for over 400 km, from Miaoli, south to Dajia near Taichung, and then to Chiayi and back.

Along the way, there will be plenty of merry-making, dancing, fireworks, and lines of religious supplicants who seek Mazu’s blessings for a safe and prosperous year. Supplicants receive the blessing by kneeling on the path before the sedan, and allowing the goddess to pass over them.

Footage from the first day of the procession, shared by the Baishatun Gongtian Temple, can be viewed below.



The religious tradition is classified as an intangible cultural heritage asset by the government.

This year, as the old religious tradition meets new technologies, the pilgrimage organizers have introduced a special smartphone app for people to keep track of the Mazu procession.

By using the app, offered by the Baishatun Gontian Culture Society (拱天宮文化組) users can locate the goddess’ current location, reports Liberty Times. The Baishatun Mazu app (search for "白沙屯媽祖"in the app store) can be used by those seeking Mazu’s blessings, or alternately, by those seeking to avoid stalled traffic on roads blocked by the religious procession.

The Mazu idol (Central News Agency)