Signups for next month’s Baishatun Matsu Pilgrimage reached a record 200,000 people this morning, Gongtian Temple director Chen Chun-fa (陳春發) said.
The pilgrimage is an annual event that sees participants carry a palanquin with a Matsu statue from Gongtian Temple (拱天宮) in Miaoli County’s Tongsiao Township (通霄) to Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) in Yunlin County’s Beigang Township (北港).
This year’s procession is to start at at 11:25pm on May 1 and return on May 11.
Photo: Taipei Times
Since registrations started at 8am on Thursday last week, record numbers of participants have signed up, Chen said.
Yesterday signups broke last year’s record of 179,971, exceeding 200,000 today, he added.
Over the past five years, numbers have increased annually, with 54,599 participants in 2020, 78,672 in 2021, 90,928 in 2022 and 113,621 in 2023, the temple said.
While some have suggested that online signups could be used given the number of participants, Chen said that traditional on-site registration allows believers to let Matsu know they are to accompany her on her journey.
However, the temple is considering online signups as the number of applicants continues to increase, Chen said.
Given the effort required to give each participant their required clothing, Chen asked the public for patience.
Meanwhile, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said it is to send a team of forecasters along with the procession to provide timely weather updates, given how quickly the weather can change in spring.
This is the 13th consecutive year of working with the temple, the agency said.
Forecasters are to work with organizers and notify the procession of any severe weather so that they can make appropriate adjustments, the agency said.
Pilgrims can also use the CWA app for up-to-date information, it added.
Additional reporting by Lin Chih-yi
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS