This year’s Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage, widely recognized as Taiwan’s longest religious procession on foot, is to begin on April 12, Miaoli County’s Gongtian Temple (拱天宮) said yesterday.
A ritual tossing of divination blocks, known as jiaobei, was held at the temple in Tongsiao Township’s (通霄) Baishatun (白沙屯) to determine the dates of key activities for the pilgrimage honoring the sea goddess Matsu.
Based on the results, a palanquin carrying the sea goddess is to depart Gongtian Temple on April 12 at 11:55pm and arrive at Beigang Chaotian Temple (北港朝天宮) in Yunlin County on April 16.
Photo: CNA
The “Divine Spirit Renewal” ceremony is to begin at the Yunlin temple at 12:10am on April 17, during which a fire is to be lit for worshipers to take back to the Miaoli temple.
On April 20, the pilgrimage is to return to Gongtian Temple, while the lighting of an incense burner marking an end of the annual pilgrimage is to be held on May 1.
This year’s pilgrimage would last eight days to and from Beigang, and registration is open from March 11 to April 9, the Gongtian Temple management said.
Last year’s pilgrimage lasted 10 days, with nearly 330,000 participants, setting a new record, it added.
The pilgrimage from Miaoli to Beigang Chaotian Temple has been held for nearly 200 years, and is known for not having a fixed route or time frame. It was designated a national intangible cultural asset in 2010 due to its historical and cultural significance.
Three Matsu statues would participate in this year’s pilgrimage, compared with just one or two in previous years, said Hung Wen-hua (洪文華), head of Gongtian Temple’s management commission.
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