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Folk Customs
--- The Worship of Mazu >
The Celestial Meizhou Mazu Temple |
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Pilgrim
delegations from Taiwan are particularly large and hold
impressive ceremonies where they "invite" mazu statues
to go home with them.
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For hundreds of years people have been burning
incense at the Meizhou Mazu Temple, although it has been rebuilt
and extended many times. In recent years the temple has undergone
further repairs and reconstruction and has now reached an unprecedented
scale, looking more like a celestial palace than a simple temple.
The temple's gate is in the style of a magnificent ancient city
tower. On a sumeru platform constructed of rocks stands a city
wall, on top of which is a tower with a nine-ridged roof. Its
three arched doorways resemble those of the Forbidden City in
Beijing. Behind the temple gate is the "Heavenly Ladder", a
flight of 150 steep stone steps leading up to a huge stone ceremonial
gateway. Behind it is a large square with a platform in the
centre and a Drum Tower and Bell Tower on either side. If you
walk up the stone steps along the central axis between the two
towers you come to the Main Hall of the temple.
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Tian
hou Hall is the busiest place in the temple, with incense
burning all year round.
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The magnificent Main Hall has a nine-ridged
roof with upturned double eaves. On the front terrace of the
Main Hall are two stone columns with exquisitely-carved coiling
dragons, and inside the hall is a statue of Mazu. The Main Hall
and the square are where the memorial ceremonies are held for
Mazu every year. All kinds of activities such as performances,
operas and acrobatics take place here. But the busiest place,
the place where all worshippers come to burn incense, is Tianhou
Hall, located just behind the Main Hall.
Tianhou Hall, also known as Chamber Hall,
enjoys paramount prestige in the minds of believers because
it was the first place where Mazu was ever worshipped. It is
in fact the temple's ancestral hall and holds two statues of
Mazu. The one in front is known as "Mazu Parading the Sky",
as it can be dismantled and carried in a parade; the one at
the rear is a clay statue called "Mazu Guarding the Hall", which
is not removable. In front of the shrine is a "Dark-faced Mazu"
statue brought from the town of Lukang in Taiwan, and another
statue of Mazu from Hsinkang in Taiwan. Inside the hall are
also various statues of the gods of the sea, military officers
and civilian officials all in attendance, as well as images
of the devils and spirits that have been subdued by her.
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All
year round Tianhou Hall is full of pilgrims.
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Pious worshippers cross the threshold with
great respect, sincerely burning incense, making offerings and
kneeling down to ask Mazu for blessings. Past this hall is the
newly-built Ascension-to-Heaven Pavilion. From the top of the
three-storey, pagoda-like pavilion one can see the entire temple
complex. However, the best view of the island and its temples
is from the summit of Mount Meifeng.
When pilgrims reach the top of the mountain, however, their
first objective is not to enjoy the scenery but to look at the
towering statue of Mazu there. This 14-metre-tall granite sculpture
blends in beautifully with the white clouds floating past the
peak. The statue embodies the qualities of both a goddess and
a kind mother figure. |
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