Taiwan Welcomes Mazu

2024 / April

“For deities to flourish, you need people to worship them and people to carry them when they go out on tour.” So said Lin Mei-rong, a researcher at the Academia Sinica’s Institute of Ethnology, in an inter­view with Taiwan Panorama. Pilgrimages of the goddess Mazu attract a great many participants each year, and this issue’s Cover Story focuses on themes related to these processions, including the pilgrimages themselves, palanquins and their bearers, temple culture and cuisine, and pilgrimage souvenirs.
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The Taiwanese Camino:

Mazu Pilgrimages

The activities that take place in Taiwan each March to celebrate the goddess Mazu are the island’s most boisterous folk culture events. For seven to nine days and nights, people follow Mazu—Taiwan’s “number-one goddess”—on pilgrimages and “tours of inspection.” Walking in these processions pro......

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Transports of Devotion:

Deities’ Palanquins

Deities’ palanquins are crafted by skilled artisans, funded by the donations of pious believers. They manifest the majesty of the deities they carry.The four-way interaction between a deity, their palanquin, the palanquin bearers, and the deity’s faithful followers is played out in countless t......

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The Past and Present of Temple Squares:

Craftsmanship, Theater, Food

Temple squares are where the works of skilled craftspeople are on display and where ­theat­ri­cal troupes spark the imaginations of their audiences. Local residents gravitate there to communicate with each other and with their gods. These places are silent witnesses to the passage of time. As ......

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Destined Relationships:

The Origins, Diversity, and Meaning of Jieyuanpin

As crowds of devotees on foot follow the pilgrimage of the goddess Mazu through streets and lanes, often for 100 kilometers or more, there are always cases of exhaustion or the urgent need for a bathroom along the way. Fortunately, there is help on all sides. It was out of gratitude for this p......