What are the Mazu celebrations?There are many forms of Mazu celebrations. The following are some common Mazu celebrations:
- ** Spring and Autumn Sacrifice **: Every year on the 23rd day of the 3rd month of the lunar calendar, on Mazu's birthday, and on the 9th day of the 9th day of the 9th month of the lunar calendar, the Mazu Temple on Meizhou Island will hold Spring and Autumn Sacrifice. After 1983, the Mazu Temple on Meizhou Island resumed this activity. The scale of the ceremony was divided into three categories according to the number of people. It included 13 processes, such as beating drums and firing cannons, welcoming the gods and offering incense, and reciting blessings. Among them, the music and dance around the "three offerings" were the core. Other than the different offerings in the Spring and Autumn Sacrifice, the other regulations were similar.
- ** Sea Sacrifice, Family Sacrifice, Boat Sacrifice **: In addition to the Spring and Autumn Sacrifice, there are different specifications and different forms of Mazu ceremonies in various places, such as the Sea Sacrifice, Family Sacrifice, Boat Sacrifice, etc.
- ** Mazu Safety Patrol Event **: For example, the fourth Southern Hemispheric Mazu Safety Patrol Event was held on October 12, 2024 local time in the Western District of Sydney. During the event, the Golden Mazu of Meizhou and the Golden Mazu of Taiwan's Tachia Zhenlan Palace went on a tour together. The patrol team set off from the Queen of Heaven Palace in Sydney. Along the way, there were lion dances, gongs and drums, and after arriving at Liberty Square in Sydney, there were also traditional China dances and Peking opera performances.
- ** Birthday Celebration Event **: For example, on May 1, 2024, Shiwang Village, Shakang, Haifeng will hold the 1064th birthday celebration of Mazu. The event will include a big performance, an opening ceremony, a lantern display, a golden dragon, a colorful phoenix, a tiger cannon, Lu Bu's horse test, a large-scale musical fireworks display, and so on.
- ** Intangible Cultural Heritage Celebration Event **: For example, Shajing "Old Bao 'an·Intangible Cultural Heritage Show" and Tianhou Ancient Temple Mazu Intangible Cultural Heritage Activity, the content of the activity includes dragon and lion dance, folk song and dance performance, 10:00 a.m. began to celebrate the cultural heritage of Mazu belief and customs, including the entrance of the law enforcement team and honor guard team, drumming, welcoming the gods, burning incense, respectfully reading the blessing text, performing three kowtow ceremonies, etc., as well as the performance of the belief gift custom link, etc. The patrol team consisted of more than 2000 people and cruised along a specific route.
- ** Mazu Festival Event **: According to legend, the 23rd day of March and the 9th day of September of the lunar calendar are the birthday and death day of Mazu respectively. Every two days, tens of thousands of people would come to worship Mazu. During this period, there would be activities to worship Mazu, discuss Mazu culture, and display crafts. People could also watch distinctive folk songs and dances and taste Fujian cuisine.
- ** Mazu's birthday celebration, a large-scale cultural evening party **: There will be a host and actors participating, and the scene will be extremely lively.