- Administrator: Miaoli County Government Media Affairs Center
- Contact Number: 559329
County Government Press Release 2020/7/5
Baishatun Gongtian Temple Matsu Pilgrimage, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, started at midnight on July 5. The annual religious event will last for nine days and eight nights. Minister of the Interior, Xu Guo-yong; Legislator, Chen Chao-ming; and Magistrate Hsu Yao-chang all attended the sedan chair mounting ceremony. In addition to expressing best wishes for the event’s success, the magistrate also reminded believers to follow all epidemic prevention regulations of new life movement to maintain personal health and the health of others.
Baishatun Matsu’s pilgrimage to Beigang Chaotian Temple started at 2:15AM on July 5. Many believers gathered at Gongtian Temple on July 4 and crowded the temple and the surrounding lanes. Magistrate Hsu Yao-chang asked believers to pay attention to epidemic preventive measures and suggested wearing face masks throughout the pilgrimage. On hot days, remember to drink more water and use sunscreen to maintain the body’s healthy condition. He also prayed for the success of the event and the citizens’ safety, guarded by Matsu.
The sedan chair mounting ceremony included offering a sacrifice of three kinds of meat and fruit, reciting the sacrificial prayer, and respectfully inviting Matsu to mount the sedan chair. Accompanied by the public’s call of “come in,” Baishatun Matsu mounted the sedan chair. Then the temple was opened to the public, who were allowed to enter the main hall to worship. It was crowded, but participants followed the staff’s instructions. It was bustling with noise and excitement.
Baishatun Gongtian Temple was established in 1864. The “Baishatun Matsu Pilgrimage” is generally held in the early spring every year, a tradition passed down for more than 160 years. In 2008 and 2010, it was officially registered as an “intangible cultural asset” by both the Miaoli County Government and the Executive Yuan. The greatest characteristic of the “Baishatun Matsu Pilgrimage” is the unfixed route. Everything follows divine will without manmade arrangements. As the route is unfixed, it is full of novelty. Participants with deep belief always follow the entire way, which suggests cohesion and shapes the unique characteristic of the religious belief in Baishatun Matsu.