Mazu (Goddess of the Sea)

The most wrenching moment in Mazu's legend happens at a loom. Lin Mo-niang was weaving one day when her eyes suddenly closed and she slumped forward, her face gone somewhere far away. Out on the ocean a storm had risen and the boats carrying her father and brother were breaking apart — and in spirit she had gone to them, one hand gripping her father, her teeth clenched on her brother's clothing. Seeing her collapsed and unresponsive, her mother shook her awake in a panic. The instant her mouth opened to answer, the brother held in her teeth slipped away. Her father came home; her brother never did.

Lin Mo-niang was born in 960, the first year of the Jianlong era. Sharp from childhood, she could read scriptures by the age of eight, and she would stand at the shore reading the sky, guiding the village boats around the coming storms. In 987, at just twenty-eight, she passed away in serene meditation atop Meiyu Peak on Meizhou Island. The grateful villagers built her a shrine, and over the centuries one dynasty after another raised her titles — from 'Lady' to 'Heavenly Consort' and at last to 'Empress of Heaven, the Heavenly Holy Mother.' A fishing girl who could not save her own brother became the guardian of the entire Chinese seafaring world.

Offerings to Mazu are mainly vegetarian: fresh flowers, the 'four fruits,' longevity peaches, red tortoise cakes, and steamed fa-gao all suit her well. Mazu favors cleanliness, so keep the altar table tidy. How do you pray? On entering the temple, first offer incense at the Heaven Emperor censer, then step to Mazu's main altar and state your name, your address, and what you're asking for — safe voyages, career, marriage, or children are all fair to request.

The 23rd day of the third lunar month is Mazu's birthday, and for weeks around it processions wind across the whole island. If you want to feel it for yourself, walk a stretch alongside the Dajia or Baishatun pilgrimage and bow as the palanquin passes — for many Taiwanese, it is one of the most treasured moments of blessing all year.

Mazu's birthday on the 23rd of the 3rd lunar month is Taiwan's largest religious event. The 9-day pilgrimage from Dajia Jenn Lann Temple and the walking pilgrimage from Baishatun attract hundreds of thousands, ranking alongside Vatican Christmas Mass and the Hajj as one of the world's three great religious events.