Tens of thousands of followers of Matsu (
The Tachia Matsu procession is one of the most important religious rituals in Taiwan.
In eight days and seven nights, the Matsu image will visit 72 temples graced by the goddess in 17 townships in Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties.
The starting ceremony was attended by Taichung County Magistrate Huang Chung-sheng (
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will attend the Matsu birthday celebrations at the Worshipping Heaven Taoist Hall in Hsinkang on April 9, when the Tachia Matsu image visits the temple.
Matsu is the most-worshipped deity in Taiwan.
Centuries ago, immigrants from China brought the belief of the seafarers' patron to Taiwan.
The Matsu cult is deeply rooted especially in the coastal regions, though there are more than 500 Matsu temples all over the island.
In celebration of Matsu's birthday on March 23 on the lunar calendar, the Tachia Chenlan Taoist Hall, one of the biggest Matsu temples with over 100 years of history, sponsors the Matsu procession before Matsu's birthday.
In recent years, the Tachia Matsu procession has acquired a festive atmosphere with the performances of martial arts, acrobatics, and folk dances and music along with the marchers, and the Taichung County Government has made the religious activity an official cultural festival.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS