The annual Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage, widely recognized as Taiwan's longest religious procession on foot, began in Miaoli County early today, drawing a record-breaking 329,118 registered participants.
The pilgrimage honors the sea goddess Matsu, who is enshrined at Gongtian Temple in Baishatun, a coastal township in Miaoli.
The 10-day journey to Chaotian Temple in Beigang, Yunlin County, spans more than 300km and is notable for its unpredictable route and timing.
Photo: Taipei Times
The two temples are about 120km apart.
The goddess was placed in her palanquin, nicknamed the "pink sports car," at 11:25pm before the procession began at 12:03am today.
President William Lai (賴清德) visited Gongtian Temple yesterday evening to participate in the ceremonial removal of the Matsu statue.
Miaoli County Commissioner Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦), Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), Changhua County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei (王惠美) and Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan (張麗善) were also in attendance.
"Shanbian Matsu," a counterpart deity from Houlong Township in Miaoli, was also placed on the palanquin at 11:50pm to join the pilgrimage.
Chung said the pilgrimage was designated a national intangible cultural asset in 2010 due to its historical and cultural significance.
Gongtian Temple said that the outbound leg of the pilgrimage to Beigang is expected to take 34 to 37 hours.
Matsu is scheduled to arrive in Beigang at 11am tomorrow, ahead of the holy fire ceremony at Chaotian Temple at 12:40am on Sunday.
In previous years, the return leg of the pilgrimage has been completed in similarly short time frames.
Last year, devotees returned from Yunlin to Miaoli in just 34 hours.
The Ministry of the Interior describes the Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage as Taiwan's longest religious walk in terms of distance and the only one in the country with a route, duration and rest stops that change annually.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS