A quadrennial event to pray for safety and a bountiful catch…
Fishing boats from the Mazu Maritime Pilgrimage docked at the Kaohsiung Music Center. Photo: Zhen-Kang.
Mazu (also spelled Matsu; 媽祖) is a sea goddess within many of Taiwan’s religions—including Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She’s widely worshipped across Taiwan and the outlying islands, one of which is named after her.
I’m yet to see the Matsu Islands, but I did see this 48-meter-tall statue of Mazu on Penghu when I visited in 2023:
This impressive statue was built only a few years ago. It’s around the height of a 16-story building.
There are two major annual Mazu pilgrimages in Taiwan. Pilgrims walk with (smaller) Mazu statues over 300km between temples. The processions attract up to three million people along the way.
But Mazu is the sea goddess, so she must also take to the waves. The Mazu Maritime Pilgrimage (also called the Mazu Sea Patrol Rite; 乙巳年林園鳳芸宮媽祖海巡) happens only once every four years, and it’s happening right now.
Fishing boats carry Mazu statues on a five-day journey along the Kaohsiung and Tainan coastline. Mazu braves the waves to protect the fisherman, bless communities, and facilitate a good catch.
Last night, the fleet of 20 ships docked at Love Pier, next to the Kaohsiung Music Center, for an impressive display of big Mazu energy…
I met a friend for the 20-minute walk from my apartment to Love Pier. The fishing fleet wrapped around two sides of the Music Center.From the bridge over Love River, we could hear party music. The lead boat’s impressive sound system was playing the hip-hop track Be Your Brother by Taiwanese group Nine One One (玖壹壹).
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To convey the atmosphere, here’s a video of another boat docking (at 2.5× speed), to the tune of Be Your Brother (at 1× speed). Translated lyrics include “With these beautiful girls, we go listen to the sound of the sea crying / Twist the throttle, hold tight! / I’ll never break your heart / I’m like a gust of fierce wind / Searching for the ocean waves in your heart”.
Each boat carried a statue of Mazu, and sometimes other gods too, in sacred sedan chairs or shrine boxes (神轎).This one came with a smoke machine.Many boats included neon signs. Note also the red dragons and yellow flags.Here’s a clearer shot of the dragons.Boats were affiliated with specific temples, carrying their particular gods. This one carried the Tǔdì Gōng (土地公), also known as the Earth God or Land Duke.I thought these lanterns at the bow were especially beautiful. I'm sure the Land Duke approves.Some of the gods were wrapped in protective plastic sheets.This boat, from a temple for the Dark Emperor (玄天上帝), had a butterfly on its bow.Behind the Emperor’s shrine box, black flags bore his name.Some boats also carried Formosa Plastics Group flags. This conglomerate is one of Taiwan’s most influential companies. On the positive side, it has a long history of contributing to cultural and religious events around Taiwan. On the negative side, it has a long history of contributing to industrial accidents and environmental degradation.Branches were tied to the boats’ masts, seen here above the Taiwan flag. They act as a talisman to ward off evil spirits and misfortune at sea.In most cases, the fishing equipment on the aft deck was also decorated.Squid boats were identifiable by the rows of squid lamps hanging high along the sides. In this photo, they’re not turned on but are visible above the neon signage.Here’s a closer view of squid lamps on another boat.At the far end of Love Pier, this boat was blasting bubbles into the sky.Around the corner, docked at the Pier-2 Art Center, this one was decorated with fish and stars.Amongst the last few boats, this one had especially impressive lighting.Behind it, I caught Great Harbor Bridge—Asia’s largest rotating bridge—mid-rotation. It rotates daily at 3pm, and also at 7pm on weekends.We turned back to the Music Center. It was lit in changing colors, per the boats docked around it.There was a line-up of gods immediately in front of the Music Center, with children (in red) performing a Bagua Array dance (八卦陣舞). It’s a martial-arts-inspired performance rooted in Taoist philosophy, used to ward off evil and honor the deities. A second stage (on the far right with red curtains) would later be used to perform theater for the gods.We left to get pizza. On the way, my friend stopped me next to this metal sculpture at the Pier-2 Art Center. “This is Mazu”, he said, knowing I wouldn’t have previously realized. I’d literally walked past this artwork hundreds of times, never considering it might represent an actual deity—let alone Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, the most popular and culturally-significant deity in all of Taiwan. She’s everywhere.
