The annual Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage has been postponed to comply with government measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, Jenn Lann Temple (鎮瀾宮) chairman Yen Ching-biao (顏清標) said yesterday, after sparking criticism on Wednesday for his insistence on holding the event.
Approximately 1 million people participate in the pilgrimage each year, with believers and visitors embarking on a 340km journey through central Taiwan and visiting more than 100 temples dedicated to the goddess Matsu along the route.
Yen had previously said that people should not be afraid to participate, because they would be protected by Matsu and other deities, while temple vice chairman Cheng Ming-kuen (鄭銘坤) said that the event would be canceled if Taichung was locked down because of the disease.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times
Yen yesterday apologized in a Facebook video to all followers of Matsu for having to postpone the event.
“Even President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has suspended all preparatory work for her inauguration ceremony on May 20 and made disease prevention the nation’s top priority. The pilgrimage can be held any time before the ninth day of the ninth month on the lunar calendar [Oct. 25 this year], which was said to be the day when the goddess ascended to the heavens,” Yen said.
“We will hold another meeting after the disease is under control to decide when the pilgrimage will be held. Matsu is merciful and she will bless everyone,” he said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
Yen said that he could not unilaterally decide to cancel the pilgrimage, as other people, including performing troupes for the parades and volunteers who cook meals, have been preparing for the event for months.
The temple on Wednesday night and yesterday morning held board meetings before deciding to postpone the event, he said.
Yen at a news conference yesterday morning denied that it was he who insisted that the event be held as scheduled and that the temple decided to postpone it because of pressure from Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center.
He consulted Chen by telephone because Chen is an expert in disease prevention, Yen said, adding that both would have had to work hard to contain the spread of the disease.
Yen said that he and the temple’s board of directors visited other temples in Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties that are involved in the pilgrimage and explained the situation, adding that the reactions were mixed.
“You have to understand that they have to pay all the expenses themselves. We cannot settle this matter simply by making an announcement at a news conference or reimbursing them. You have to be more humane and considerate, and be more patient in explaining it to them,” Yen said.
The temple has donated NT$30 million (US$989,120) to help the government combat the spread of the disease, as it had pledged to do, he said.
Two other Matsu temples — Beigang Chaotian Temple (北港朝天宮) in Yunlin County and Baishatun Gongtian Temple (白沙屯拱天宮) in Miaoli County — have postponed their pilgrimages, which were scheduled for this weekend and next month respectively.
Tsai thanked Baishatun Gongtian Temple, Dajia Jenn Lann Temple and other temples nationwide for complying with the center’s advice to postpone or cancel religious activities.
The president wrote on Facebook that she fully felt the devotion, friendliness and warmth of Taiwanese when she joined Baishatun Gongtian Temple’s pilgrimage last year.
That adjustments could be made to coordinate between traditional rituals and disease-prevention efforts exemplify Taiwan’s beauty and are its most stabilizing power, she wrote, thanking all religious groups, who have been under pressure due to the issue, and their supporters.
The Ministry of Culture has listed the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage one of the nation’s intangible heritages.
The Chinese Taipei Road Running Association yesterday said that the Taipei Freeway Marathon, which was scheduled for March 8, would also be postponed, while the Taishin Women Run would be postponed from March 29 to Aug. 23.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS