★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。
Lucas was already on the ground before he fully understood what was happening. “Hurry! Kneel down!” someone shouted. The asphalt was warm against his knees.
Photo: AI I 照片：人工智慧
Around him, dozens of people lay flat in the narrow street outside Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia. Some pressed their hands together in prayer. Others closed their eyes. Lucas had only come to look at the temple. An hour earlier he had stepped into the noisy courtyard out of curiosity.
Inside the main hall, people held incense sticks, bowed three times, and placed the incense into a large bronze burner before the glowing altar of Matsu — the sea goddess. Lucas copied them awkwardly, hoping he was not doing it wrong. Then drums started. Firecrackers exploded somewhere down the street. Temple flags appeared first, then musicians, then a group of men carrying a red-and-gold sedan chair above their shoulders.
“Go under the chair,” a volunteer told him, pointing to the road. “Lie down for blessing.” So Lucas did. Now the sedan chair was almost above him. Suddenly it shook hard, rocking left and right as the carriers struggled to steady it.
The crowd cheered. “The goddess is here!” someone yelled. The sedan chair passed over Lucas. He smelled incense, wood … and sweat. Then it was gone.
Lucas stood up slowly. “What does it mean?” he asked the volunteer. The man smiled. “Maybe blessing,” he said. “Maybe coincidence.” He handed Lucas a cup of tea. “Either way,” he added, “you just walked with Matsu.”
盧卡斯還沒搞清楚發生了什麼事，人就已經在地上了。「快點！跪下！」一個人大聲喊著。他從膝蓋感受到柏油路的熱氣。
在他的周圍，有好幾十個人正平伏在大甲鎮瀾宮外狹窄的街道上。有些人雙手合十祈禱，有些人則閉上眼睛。盧卡斯原本只是想來看看這座廟宇。一小時前，他出於好奇走進了熱鬧嘈雜的中庭。
在大殿裡，人們手持線香，朝著媽祖——海上的守護女神——拜了三下，接著把香插進擺在金光閃閃的媽祖神壇前的大青銅香爐裡。盧卡斯笨拙地模仿著他們的動作，只希望自己沒有做錯。接著鼓聲響起，街道遠處傳來鞭炮聲。首先出現的是廟方的旗幟，接著是樂隊，最後是一群男子肩扛著一座金紅相間的神轎。
「去鑽轎腳！」一位志工指著路面對他說，「趴下來接受庇佑。」於是盧卡斯照做了。現在神轎就在他的正上方。轎身突如其來地劇烈地搖晃起來，隨著扛轎的人拼命想把它穩住而左右擺盪。
人群歡呼了起來。「媽祖婆來了！」有人大喊。神轎從盧卡斯上方經過，他聞到了香火、木頭……還有汗水的氣味。接著，轎子就走遠了。
盧卡斯慢慢站起身。「這代表什麼意思？」他問那位志工。男子微微一笑，「可能是保佑，也可能只是巧合。」他遞給盧卡斯一杯茶。「但不管怎麼樣」他補充道，「你剛才也算跟著媽祖走了一程。」
Epilogue 故事討論
Lucas experienced part of one of Taiwan’s most famous religious traditions: the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage. Matsu is one of the most widely worshipped gods in Taiwan. Her birthday falls on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, which is usually in April or May on the Western calendar. The Dajia pilgrimage begins at Jenn Lann Temple in Taichung.
Official sources say its history in Dajia goes back to 1730, when settlers brought a statue of Matsu from Meizhou in Fujian to Taiwan. Today, the pilgrimage lasts nine days and eight nights. The route is about 300km long and goes through central Taiwan to Fongtien Temple in Singang, Chiayi, before returning north.
One famous ritual is the passing under Matsu’s sedan chair. People kneel or lie on the ground and let the chair pass over them. They believe this can bring blessing, safety, and peace. Another special part of the procession is the movement of the chair. Sometimes it suddenly shakes, sways or turns. Many worshippers believe this shows that Matsu is present and guiding the chair. For many pilgrims, the journey is more than faith. It is also about a once-in-a-lifetime experience of community and walking the road with others. This year’s pilgrimage is scheduled from April 17 to 26.
盧卡斯剛才親身參與的，正是台灣最著名的宗教盛事之一：大甲媽祖遶境。媽祖是台灣最廣為信奉的神明之一。每年的農曆三月二十三日是媽祖聖誕，換算成國曆大約落在四月或五月。大甲遶境則以台中的大甲鎮瀾宮為起點。
根據官方記載，這項傳統可追溯至1730年，當時的移民從福建湄洲將媽祖神像帶來台灣。如今，這項遶境活動長達九天八夜，路線全長約300公里，橫跨台灣中部各縣市，抵達嘉義新港奉天宮後再折返北上回到大甲。
遶境過程中最知名的儀式莫過於「鑽轎腳」，也就是信徒跪伏在路中央，讓媽祖神轎從上方經過，以此祈求保佑與平安。此外，神轎毫無徵兆地劇烈搖晃、擺動或轉向的姿態，也是繞境的一大特色，這些動向被信徒視為媽祖顯靈，親自指引路徑的象徵。對許多香客來說，這趟旅程不僅僅是信仰，更是一段與眾人同行、千載難逢的人生體驗。今年媽祖遶境日期為4月17至26日。
Vocabulary 單字片語
1. pilgrim / worshipper
信徒、香客、朝聖者
2. pilgrimage / procession
遶境、朝聖、列隊行進
3. temple 廟宇
4. incense 香、線香
5. altar 神壇、祭壇、聖餐檯
6. pray 祈禱（prayer 祈禱、祈禱文、祈禱者）
7. sedan chair 神轎（sedan 轎子、小轎車）
8. blessing 保佑、保庇、賜福
9. lunar calendar 農曆
10. safety and peace 平安
Idioms/Phrases 相關成語
1. by chance
巧合、偶然、意外地、無意中
2. once-in-a-lifetime
千載難逢的、難能可貴的
3. suddenly (without rhyme or reason)
突如其來地、毫無預兆地
4. go under the chair
鑽轎腳、稜轎腳
Nigel P. Daly is a writer with a language learning newsletter called Chin-glish bilingual lab (https://ndaly.substack.com).
Cynthia Chen is a translator and writer specializing in blogs, scripts and articles.
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