Baishatun Mazu: The longest pilgrimage
Compared with the ebullient display of Taiwan temple culture that characterizes the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, the pilgrimage of the Baishatun Mazu from Gongtian Temple at Baishatun in Tongxiao, Miaoli County to Chaotian Temple in Beigang, Yunlin County is a journey rich in spiritual meaning.
With a lead banner, a “fire carrier” (xiangdan, a container for carrying back a burning flame from Chaotian Temple to the Baishatun Mazu’s home temple), and an “imperial palanquin,” the Baishatun Mazu travels light. After being joined in her palanquin by the Mazu from the nearby Shanbian Mazu Temple, she begins a 400-kilometer pilgrimage on foot, the longest such procession in all Taiwan. Although it is arduous to walk the route, the number of pilgrims has increased dramatically from 5,465 in 2011 to nearly 180,000 this year.
The most easily recognizable features of the Baishatun Mazu’s palanquin are the auspicious golden lion statue on top and the pink waterproof cloth covering the roof. The route of the pilgrimage is not predetermined, but is decided by Mazu along the way, and the moments when she chooses a direction at forks in the road are among the most exciting of the event. The unpredictable itinerary has attracted many fans.
How does Mazu choose a direction? Chen Bihong, a member of Gongtian Temple’s management committee, says: “For instance, when she arrives at a three-way fork in the road, if she wants to turn right there will be a slight pull on the bearers’ poles to the right, if she wants to go left there will be a slight pull to the left, and if she wants to go straight ahead the poles will pull forward. If at any time Mazu finds that the bearers have made a mistake, she will cause them to circle back. This is the expression of her divine will.”
The main goal of the Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage is to draw on the “eternal flame” that burns at Chaotian Temple, and the moment that attracts the greatest attention is when Mazu’s palanquin reaches the entrance to Chaotian Temple and makes “three advances and three retreats” as a sign of respect for the temple deities. The bearers then carry the palanquin into the temple at a sprint while tens of thousands of believers yell “enter!” three times. It’s an impressive sight.
The most important part of the visit is the yihuo ritual, when the presiding priest at Chaotian Temple uses a “fire ladle” to gather burning material from the eternal flame and transfer it into a “fire pot” from Gongtian Temple. The pot is then placed into a “fire carrier” to be carried back to Gongtian Temple by a special team. After Mazu returns to Gongtian Temple, she spends 12 days being enveloped in the smoke and divine power of the eternal flame, after which a ceremony is held to “open the pot,” which marks the true end of the pilgrimage. The second day after Mazu’s return to Gongtian Temple, the temple’s second Mazu leads a tour of inspection around the community, bestowing the divine power Mazu has brought back with her on local residents.
Hung Chien-hua, director of the cultural section of the Gongtian Temple management committee, remarks that with the route and schedule of the Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage all left up to the goddess herself, there is a great deal of uncertainty and mystery. The event, he says, is “second to none compared to famous religious pilgrimages elsewhere in the world.”
The itinerary of the Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage is improvised en route at Mazu’s direction, creating a great deal of uncertainty and mystery. (photo by Li Yiyang, courtesy of Gongtian Temple)
When Mazu goes on a tour of inspection of her domain, she brings her blessings to the ordinary people there.