Mazu Festival

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Mazu Festival

Applicant: Putian City, Fujian Province

Project No.: 484

Project No.: Ⅹ - 36

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Fujian Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Putian City, Fujian Province

Protection unit: Board of directors of Mazu temple in Meizhou, Putian City

Introduction to Mazu Festival:

Applicant: Putian City, Fujian Province

Meizhou Island is located at the mouth of Meizhou Bay along the coast of Fujian Province, belonging to Putian City, Fujian Province. It is the hometown of Mazu, the sea god worshipped by all the world, and the birthplace of Mazu culture. At present, more than 5000 large-scale Mazu Fenling temples have been built in more than 500 counties and cities in more than 20 countries and regions in the world and 30 provinces and cities in China. Nearly 200 million people worship Mazu. More than one million people visit Mazu temple at home and abroad every year.

Mazu culture originated in the early Northern Song Dynasty and has a history of more than 1000 years. Mazu, surnamed Lin Mingmo, was born on Meizhou Island in Putian in the first year of Jianlong in the Northern Song Dynasty, and died in the fourth year of Yongxi in rescuing shipwrecks. People remember that she did good deeds to help the world. Shortly after her death, she spontaneously set up a temple on Meizhou Island to offer sacrifices. She was called "Mazu" and was honored as the escort goddess.

Mazu Temple ceremony is held every year on March 23 of the lunar calendar on the day of Mazu Christmas. The location of the ceremony is located in Meizhou Temple Square and Tianhou square. The whole ceremony takes about 45 minutes. There are three kinds of scale: large, medium and small. The procedures include: 1. Beating drums and firing guns; 2. The guard of honor is in place, There are three ways to do this: to have the musicians and dancers in place; to have the chief mourners and accompanies in place; to welcome the gods and offer incense; to lay a foundation for the silk; to recite the congratulatory articles; to kneel down and kowtow; to perform the first offering ceremony and play the peace music; to perform the second offering ceremony and play the music; to perform the last offering ceremony and play the music; to burn the congratulatory articles and burn the silk; to kneel down three times and nine times and to kowtow; to perform the ritual.

Mazu worship custom has a long history and far-reaching influence, especially in the coastal areas of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Mazu culture in Meizhou has its own unique content, which is worthy of research and protection, especially in promoting the exchanges between Fujian and Taiwan.

Among the thousands of Mazu temples around the world, there are more than 1000 Mazu temples in Taiwan, where Mazu is revered as the "goddess of heaven".

In October 2004, the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association was established in Meizhou Mazu temple in Putian, Fujian Province, providing an important platform for Mazu cultural institutions and personnel at home and abroad to carry out academic research, conduct friendship exchanges, promote Mazu culture, and enhance understanding and consensus.

In the long process of inheritance and deduction, Mazu culture has gradually spread to the areas along the Yangtze River, coastal areas, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, and with the footprints of overseas Chinese, it has gradually spread to more than 20 countries on five continents in the world. Mazu culture has a strong cohesive force to the Chinese in the world, especially in Southeast Asia. After thousands of years, Mazu culture has become an important part of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, as well as a cultural bridge and spiritual link connecting Chinese at home and abroad and all over the world.