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Folk Customs
--- The Worship of Mazu >
Inviting Mazu Statues Home |
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Mazu
statues are prepared beforehand in the Meizhou ancestral
temple for people from all parts of the country to take
back with them. More than 2,000 Mazu statues are taken
away every year.
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As the morning sun rises ushering in Mazu's
birthday, the celebrations and sacrificial activities reach
their climax. The whole of Mount Meifeng becomes a sea of people,
and various performances typical to the Putian region are held
in the temple square. People dressed up as sea spirits and monsters
who were subdued by Mazu, or as gods who can summon the wind
and rain, dance to express their hopes for safe sailing on the
sea and peace in the world.
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Pilgrims
carry statues of Mazu, which they will later take back
to their hometowns.
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After the carnival comes the grand ceremony
of Inviting Mazu Statues. Mazu statues are prepared beforehand
in the Meizhou ancestral temple, and after being worshipped
in the ancestral temple, they are "invited" to go to other places.
Such invitations take place several dozen times in one day,
with one group of people coming after another. In the meantime,
the Mazu statues enshrined in the smaller temples on Meizhou
Island are carried out to escort the statue of "Mazu Parading
the Sky" on a parade. The statues are put in sedan chairs and
carried by strong men, who dance vigorously as they go along,
with pride and confidence.
Among the crowds of pilgrims, the delegations from Taiwan are
particularly
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Pilgrims
from outside the island spend the night in Tianhou Hall
to show their reverence and respect for Mazu.
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mpressive. They ask the local believers to
form a team of honour guards to beat gongs to clear the way
for them. The heads of the delegations march at the front with
Mazu statues tied to their chests with red ribbons, They are
followed by people carrying statues of other deities. Like a
mighty regiment, they march in and out. Some pilgrims from Taiwan
even bring Mazu temple signboards from their hometowns all the
way to Meizhou. After they have them blessed in the ancestral
temple they take them back home. With Mazu's spirit imparted
into them at exactly the right spot, the boards will protect
worshippers for many years to come. |
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