Worshippers gather in front of the Beigang Chao-Tian temple on Feb. 17, 2023, when the pilgrimage of sea goddess Mazu enshrined in Gongtian Temple in Miaoli County arrived for an annual visit. CNA photo
Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) The annual pilgrimages taken from Mazu temples to the Beigang Chao-Tian temple, one of the most recognized ancient temples of its kind in Taiwan, were designated as a cultural heritage asset of national importance on Saturday.
The Beigang Mazu pilgrimages, as well as their cultural and religious significance, also represent nationwide and cross-regional diversity, Culture Minister Shih Che (史哲) was quoted as saying in a press release by the Ministry of Culture.
The ministry said that all participants in a review meeting of Taiwanese folklore practices that day had agreed to upgrade the status of the pilgrimages, currently "Yunlin County-designated folk customs."
An official announcement will be soon be made, the ministry said, adding that the Beigang Chao-Tian temple, established around 1700, in Yunlin County would be recognized as the activity's preserver.
The decision also makes the temple, which hosts millions of Mazu worshippers forming 3,000 pilgrimage groups each year, the first entity in Taiwan responsible for maintaining two cultural heritage assets of national importance.
In 2011, the temple was tasked to preserve the annual Beigang Mazu procession on the 19th and 20th days of the third lunar month, when the statue of the sea goddess is carried by a palanquin across Yunlin County.
While that journey is believed to bring good luck to the southern Taiwanese county, it is the visits by those from other Mazu temples across the country during the year -- the practice just designated as a culturally significant asset -- that is believed to enhance the divine power of the subordinate Mazus.
Mazu, also known by other names, such as Tian Hou (Queen of Heaven), is a deity who has been worshipped since at least the 12th century.
Originating from southeastern China's Fujian province, she was a Fujianese shamaness believed to have special powers in protecting fishermen and seafarers.
Over the centuries, the worshipping of Mazu spread through China's coastal regions and in overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Belief in Mazu was brought to Taiwan by early Chinese settlers and is still widely held.
In later years, she came to be regarded as a benevolent protector of all, not just fishermen and seafarers.
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