Organizers were celebrating record attendance at the Baishatun Matsu procession, which completed a week-long journey when it returned to Gongtian Temple (拱天宮) in Miaoli County’s Tongsiao Township (通霄鎮) on Friday.
Despite restrictions during a COVID-19 outbreak, with organizers permitting registration only for people who provided evidence of having had three COVID-19 vaccine shots, 98,000 people signed up, said Hong Wen-hua (洪文華), a member of the temple’s management committee.
People who registered paid a fee and received armbands, hats, decals and other items, Hong said, adding 80,000 people registered last year.
Photo: CNA
Health officials had expressed concern about such large group activities.
Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) attended the arrival on Friday morning, and later wrote on Facebook that he had subequently tested positive for the virus and would be isolating at home in accordance with central government guidelines.
The procession — which has no set route from year to year — started in the early morning hours of May 20 from Gongtian Temple and made its way through coastal townships to Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) in Yunlin County’s Beigang Township (北港).
As is tradition, the main palanquin carrying a statue of Matsu — a sea goddess who blesses fishers’ voyages — was carried on foot the entire way while attendants conducted ceremonial activities.
The procession on Sunday last week arrived at Chiaotian Temple, where rituals and celebratory events were held during its overnight stay, with the return journey beginning the next day.
The approximately 400km pilgrimage — Taiwan’s longest — travels through four of Taiwan’s central areas: Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua and Yunlin.
This year it lasted eight days, although it has taken as many as 12 days and as few as six.
The procession of the Dajia Matsu of Jenn Lann Temple (大甲鎮瀾宮) in Taichung has a fixed route of more than 300km. It took place last month, lasting nine days.
An exact count of the number of people involved in the Baishatun Matsu procession was not available, as some who registered participate for only a few days, while others who do not register join at the rear, Hong said.
There was great interest from across Taiwan this year, he said.
People who attend other Matsu temples registered, mainly older people, filling 63 tour buses that followed the route, he said.
Moreover, there were registrations for 6,500 vehicles, which formed a cavalcade behind the palaquin.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, some of the traditions were prohibited, including approaching the palaquin, Hong said.
A common ritual people perform is kneeling on the path of the procession to allow the palanquin to pass overhead, but people were instructed to maintain a safe distance, so that activity was not permitted, he said.
Staff dispensed alcohol spray at regular intervals and there were medical teams along the route to attend to injuries and emergencies, he said.
Many people take part not for religious reasons, but to experience an important part of Taiwanese culture.
The evolution of the procession over nearly 200 years is of interest to people who want to learn about Matsu worship at villages and towns along the coast, participants told reporters.
News reports showed people with children who said that they were carrying sleeping gear, as they would walk the entire route, camping along the road and near temples at night.
Some even did without the tents, simply carrying cardboard or foam pads to lie on in the open, reports said.
A woman told reporters that the Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage is the most unique of all Taiwan’s religious events because of its variable nature.
The procession takes different roads to Yunlin each year, with the return path not matching the route on the way south, she said, adding that there are many unscheduled stops.
“It’s unpredictable and challenging for most people who want to take in the entire journey,” she said.
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