Albert Schweitzer once said: “Man can hardly even recognize the devils of his own creation.”
Thanks to the research of many academics and advances in technology, the devils can no longer be concealed.
When incense is burned, heavy metals are released and the ashes contain a certain percentage of lead. In other words, most of the lead is released into the air. A study of kindergarten students across the nation shows that the more frequently a family burns incense, the higher the levels of lead in the blood of the children in the family.
Burning joss paper and incense releases benzene, toluene, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, nitrogen monoxide and particulate matter (PM). On the first and 15th day of every lunar month, the presence of PM1.0 in the air can rise as high as 432.9 micrograms per cubic meter.
Firecrackers also create noise pollution. The noise levels of firecrackers can reach 130 decibels, which can cause permanent hearing loss.
One study has shown a higher incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases during and a few days after the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival in Tainan compared with normal days. After firecrackers were set off high in the air during the Lantern Festival in Kaohsiung, readings at measuring stations on the lee side showed that the levels of four metals — magnesium, potassium, strontium and lead — were 10 times higher than background levels.
According to a report by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper), when the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage passed through Changhua, worshipers let off loads of firecrackers to welcome the deity. The report said that wherever the palanquin bearing the goddess’ statue went, the air quality was unbearable, with some worshipers setting off firecrackers that enveloped the area like a spider web.
The practice of Matsu worship started more than a century ago as immigrants to Taiwan sought help from the goddess when faced with rough weather when crossing the Taiwan Strait, frequent battles between different ethnic groups and the spread of infectious diseases. Of these three, only the air problem remains today — in the shape of the PM2.5 air pollution that no one can escape from. The harm caused by PM2.5 to life is like the devil’s miasma.
As early as 2010, the Environmental Protection Administration and the organizers of the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage jointly called for an environmentally friendly pilgrimage. However, some worshipers still went on a firecracker-lighting spree to interrupt the progression of Matsu’s palanquin for their personal gain, in a way using the very problems that Matsu wanted to help them get rid off to welcome it.
This not only places a heavy burden on devotees carrying the palanquin and the police to maintain order during the procession, it also does a lot of harm to worshipers who joined the pilgrimage hoping to be cured of some illnesses through this religious ritual and to the residents living along the pilgrimage’s route.
Social responsibility should be an important part of festivals and cultural events. The hosts or organizers of the Matsu pilgrimage should encourage followers to burn “mental” incense, use environmentally friendly joss paper and set off environmentally friendly firecrackers. To deliver their message more effectively, they should say, on behalf of Matsu, that devotees should realize that using the devil’s ways to welcome the deity is harmful to oneself and to others — and that it will not bring blessings from Matsu.
Chien Jien-wen is a pediatrician at Changhua Christian Hospital and a member of Taiwan Clean Air Network.
Translated by Ethan Zhan
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