This past year has been tough for Taiwan, and many Taiwanese are turning to the sea goddess Matsu for assurance. This year’s Matsu pilgrimages have attracted record numbers of people and one unfortunate result of this is the amount of garbage discarded along the routes, more than in previous years.
To make the experience less arduous, many pilgrims do everything they can to cut down on bulk by simplifying their baggage and taking only the bare essentials.
When the processions take off, all manner of disposable wrappers, water cups, bottles and cans can be found littering the route behind them.
It is not just the discarded cups that are a problem.
Over the past few years, participants have been known to let free food provided by well-meaning people go to waste. The delectable offerings are intended to fill the bellies and tickle the taste buds of the faithful, but many of these people joined the pilgrimage to experience its hardship and pain as a mark of their devotion to Matsu, to purify their souls in the process — and delicious, free grub can be an impediment to that.
The food provided should be simple and environmentally friendly. Vegetarian zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) are a good option. For drinks, people should bring their own cups, and avoid using disposable containers.
On top of this, many well-meaning people provide pilgrims with talismans, lanyards, clothing, footwear and even fluorescent batons, and all of these plastic items outlive their purpose by the end of the pilgrimage, becoming just another thing to be discarded.
It is difficult to understand why — when the blurb on the Matsu pilgrimage states that participants should bring reusable utensils, plates and cups — that the Matsu temples accept tens of thousands of disposable containers donated by companies. Surely this is self-contradictory.
Studies show that 20,000 plastic bottles are used around the world every second, which is more than 630 billion per year, and these bottles pollute the environment and clog up the oceans. What would Matsu, the goddess of the sea, have to say about that?
One would imagine that she would not be amused.
Two massive Matsu pilgrimages have become annual events. If the temple authorities organizing these events used the occasions to instill awareness of food wastage and environmental ideals, they would likely be far more effective than guidance from government officials.
Well-meaning people who want to participate in a Matsu pilgrimage to show their respect for the sea goddess could demonstrate their piety through other methods, such as by donating to a cash-strapped charity or participating in an environmentally friendly initiative, such as a beach cleanup or tree planting.
The point is that there are more creative ways for people to celebrate Matsu’s birthday than by swelling the ranks of the annual pilgrimages.
A few days ago, the Baishatun Matsu Pilgrimage procession arrived at Taichung’s Cingshuei District (清水).
The Daan (大安) and Dajia (大甲) rivers could be seen gasping for another breath, and there was no water left at Cingshuei Train Station.
I remember watching a Cloud Gate Dance Theatre performance at the square between the National Theater and National Concert Hall in Taipei, and at the end, the audience did not leave any trash scattered on the ground.
The temple authorities could learn from that and use these pilgrimages to promote an environmentally friendly message.
Jimmy Hsu is a farmer.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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