Matsu
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join the 280km procession that will pass through four counties -- Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi -- and visit around 80 temples. Matsu is the goddess of the sea and one of Taiwan's most venerated deities.
At a press conference yesterday in Taipei's Red Playhouse, Taichung County Commissioner Huang Chung-sheng (
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
"There will be an increased number of shows from local and international performers. This will make the event even more exciting and appealing to young people and tourists," Huang said.
From tomorrow in Dajia at the Yu Jan Shin Culture Center there will be an exhibition of Matsu statues and garments, followed by traditional activities at locations in Taichung County such as dragon, lion and folk dances, martial arts exhibitions and acrobatics.
The pilgrimage is slated to begin at 11:05pm on March 25, departing from Zhenlan Temple in Dajia and led by a messenger wearing one sandal (to represent the fact he is oblivious to his own comfort) and holding an umbrella from which a pig's foot dangles.
He will be followed by a spectacular procession of flag and incense bearers, bands, troupes dressed in ancient army costumes, goddess puppets and traditional musicians.
Typically, followers seek a blessing from the goddess by kneeling before the Matsu palanquin and letting it pass over them, while firecrackers are let off.
Taking as its theme this year the phrase "Matsu is everywhere," tradition has been updated by introducing three mascots representing the goddess and her two celestial followers: Qian Li Yan (who can see for 1,000 miles) and Shun Feng Er (who hears everything carried on the wind).
These cartoon figures were unveiled at the press conference yesterday and can be downloaded on GPRS-enabled phones by sending the message "MA" to the number 55818.
Outside the Red Playhouse yesterday, the Taipei Times met up with independent legislator Yen Chin-piao (
President Chen Shui-bian (
But Yen was clearly enjoying the spotlight as one of the principal organizers of the festival and said the event would continue to grow in importance.
"Most Taiwanese grow up praying to Matsu so there will always be interest in her. This is the biggest and most significant religious event in the country and is an expression of our culture," Yen said.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
The 2025 Kaohsiung Wonderland–Winter Amusement Park event has teamed up with the Japanese manga series Chiikawa this year for its opening at Love River Bay yesterday, attracting more than 10,000 visitors, the city government said. Following the success of the “2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland” collaboration with a giant inflatable yellow duck installation designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, this year the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau collaborated with Chiikawa by Japanese illustrator Nagano to present two giant inflatable characters. Two inflatable floats — the main character, Chiikwa, a white bear-like creature with round ears, and Hachiware, a white cat with a blue-tipped tail
RSS