The birthday of the sea goddess Matsu, which falls on the 23rd day of the third month on the lunar calendar, was celebrated on Tuesday last week, as followers poured in to Matsu temples throughout the nation. Fusing Temple, which is devoted to Matsu, in Greater Taichung’s Dali District joined Datun District’s Matsu pilgrimage event for 18 villages. Wanhe Temple in Nantun District and Dajia District’s Jenn Lann Temple held a lively rite consisting of three offerings (sanxianli) on Tuesday last week.
The ceremonial trumpet and percussion troupes, which consisted of more than a hundred people, performed in Datun District’s Matsu pilgrimage and prayer activity. The ambulatory pilgrimage included a palanquin carrying the Matsu deity, and everywhere it went people were ready to offer their burning incense, fruit and pious prostrations, praying to the sea goddess to protect and bless family members.
Wanhe Temple chairman Hsiao Ching-chieh served as master of ceremonies for the temple’s sanxianli ritual, which also included the participation of Nantun District Administrator Cheng Tai-yuan and the temple’s directors. The temple was packed with worshippers offering incense and watching the rite being performed. Wanhe Temple also prepared misua (thin wheat noodles) for all of the devotees, which some ate two or three bowls of in one sitting. This year the Wanhe Temple’s Matsu Hall is also celebrating its 330th anniversary. Shaw Hsiao-ling, wife of Taichung Mayor Jason Hu, also attended the ceremony and led worshippers in a prayer to Matsu, asking the goddess to protect Greater Taichung and bring it prosperity in the future so that the city may better serve as a beacon.
Photo: Yang Yi-min, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者楊宜敏
Wanhe Temple also held an assembly of congregation representatives last Tuesday, during which it was decided that the event for celebrating the temple’s 330th anniversary will be held in the middle of October. The Greater Taichung Government also announced that it has registered as a cultural heritage in the folkways category Wanhe Temple’s “surname folk opera” (zixingxi), a tradition which has been passed down for more than 180 years. Troupes are performing at the temple for the next two months.
Jenn Lann Temple deputy chairman Cheng Ming-kun led all of the temple directors in the celebratory birthday rite for Matsu. The temple gave worshippers longevity peaches (shoutao) and ceremonial turtle-shaped cakes (miangui) as sacraments. This year a company also donated over 1,000 honey cakes for the 53 borough wardens to share the joy of celebrating Matsu’s birthday.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者陳建志
上週二農曆三月廿三日是媽祖聖誕，各區媽祖廟湧入參拜信眾，台中市大里區福興宮媽祖廟配合大屯區媽祖遶行十八庄舉行遶境祈福活動，南屯區萬和宮、大甲鎮瀾宮上週二依循古禮舉行三獻禮祭典，場面熱鬧。
大屯區媽祖遶境祈福活動，上百人組成的哨角、大鼓等陣頭，以步行方式舉行遶境，媽祖鑾轎所經之處，民眾都準備香案、水果虔誠膜拜，祈求媽祖庇佑全家平安。
萬和宮三獻禮祭典由董事長蕭清杰擔任主祭，南屯區長程泰源及萬和宮董監事陪祭，參香、觀禮的信眾擠滿廟內外。萬和宮還準備麵線讓信眾吃平安，不少人一口氣吃了二、三碗。今年適逢萬和宮媽祖鎮殿三百卅年，市長胡志強夫人邵曉鈴也到場觀禮，並率領信眾祈求媽祖保佑台中市往前衝，讓台中市更發光發亮。
萬和宮上週二也召開信徒代表大會，決定將在十月中旬舉辦三百卅週年慶祝活動。另外，萬和宮傳承一百八十餘年，經市府公告登錄為台中市民俗類文化資產的字姓戲，也將連演出兩個月。
鎮瀾宮副董事長鄭銘坤率全體董監事舉行祝壽祭典，廟方也免費分送信眾壽桃跟麵龜讓信眾吃平安，今年有廠商贊助一千多個蜂蜜蛋糕送給五十三庄里長，分享媽祖聖誕喜悅。
（自由時報記者張菁雅、陳建志、張軒哲）
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