Miaoli Tongxiao Baishatun Mazu set sail in the early morning of March 2, 20 16, and started the pilgrimage to the Heavenly Palace in Beigang on 1 1 0/0 night, with more than 10000 followers.
Judging from Taiwan Province Mazu's appellation, modeling and supernatural view in folklore, Mazu has changed from believing in Poseidon to believing in Mother Goddess. Due to the characteristics of mother and the image of loving mother, believers will project their sense of dependence on mother on Mazu, making Mazu a "mother god" and widely loved by the people.
The image of Mazu mother is not a "creator" or a religious concept of "creator". She did not create and kill the legend of everything in the universe, but used the image of a loving mother to protect people and believers.
Mother gods are found in many religions, such as Guanyin Bodhisattva in Buddhism, Tara, heavenly mother in Taoism, and Virgin Mary in Catholicism. These mother gods are also important beliefs of various religions. No matter what nationality, region or religion, the kind mother god is the object of spiritual dependence of believers. Mazu is a god who represents the image of mother in folk beliefs? , is the mother symbol of the primitive minds of the people in Taiwan Province Province.
On the Relationship between Man and God from Mazu Appellation
No matter how Mazu was addressed in the past dynasties, people often don't address her with official titles, such as Tian Fei and Tianhou, but often use family titles, such as posthumous title's mother, Mazu, Mazu's wife, mother-in-law, Notre Dame and Zugu, so as to make the relationship between God and mortals correspond.
"Mazu" is the most common name among people in Taiwan Province Province. When these two words are separated, they mean mother, grandmother and ancestor. There is a very interesting record in Zhao Yi's "Jade Cong Kao" in Qing Dynasty: "The natives call on Mazu, and if it breaks out suddenly, it will come from God and its effect will be effective; If you call the princess in the sky, God will feel the moment of honor and fear. Mazu cloud, Gaimin people are also called mother's home. " Obviously, calling Mazu is not just based on closeness. In an emergency, the effect of calling Mazu and calling Tian Fei for help is totally different.
Mother Modeling of Mazu in Taiwan Province Province
The general understanding of Mazu is based on the view of Zhao Cheng and Tian Fei Lu in the late Ming Dynasty. According to Records of Mr. Tian Fei, Mazu was born in 960 (the first year of Stegosaurus in Song Taizu) and ascended the throne in 987 (the fourth year of Song Yongxi). It is inferred that Mazu was about 28 years old when he ascended the throne.
Mazu, unmarried, 28 years old, was married by the Jade Emperor on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. This is a common folklore. Therefore, the golden bodies of Mazu created by Chinese mainland are all girls, mostly young and beautiful, slim and tall, and unmarried women in their twenties.
In Taiwan Province Province, even though it is different in Mazu Tempel, they are generally elegant middle-aged women. For a long time, Mazu has re-developed a belief system with the re-imagination of the indigenous Han people.
Mazu in Taiwan Province Province is mostly plump and short, and looks like a middle-aged woman in her forties and fifties. Their faces are kind and kind, their eyes are slightly closed, and they listen carefully, just like loving mothers listening to their children's sufferings. Being slightly fat represents happiness and stability, and brings believers a sense of security and trust. Middle-aged women are about the same age as their mothers, and their short stature conforms to the general size of Taiwan Province Province.
The golden body of Mazu Tempel, Taiwan Province, is rarely a huge and majestic statue except the mother in the town hall, because Mazu is not a noble, great and sacred god, but as kind and kind as the mother at home. Therefore, people in Taiwan Province Province shape Mazu in the image of their mother, whose image is the image of their mother, and Mazu symbolizes her image.
Motherhood of Mazu in Taiwan Province Province.
Mazu originally belonged to Poseidon's belief. At present, Mazu in Taiwan Province Province is not only the patron saint of navigation. According to the miraculous view of Mazu in different parts of Taiwan Province Province, Mazu had many functions in the early stage of immigration, such as helping war, quelling chaos, eliminating epidemic diseases, pests and diseases, rainfall, treating diseases and providing disaster relief. Now Mazu also has maternal responsibilities such as marriage, childbirth and child care, and Mazu has also changed from a sea rescue god to a gentle and loving mother god.
As long as believers have private thoughts such as making friends, falling in love and getting married, they often turn to Mazu for help, and it is inappropriate to pray to other gods.
Every year, Dajia Mazu? During the pilgrimage, many people rushed to ask the messenger for "red silk thread" and tied it on their wrists to pray for marriage. The concept of red silk thread originated from the story of the old man under the moon. However, due to the universality of Mazu's belief, Mazu also had to be in charge of love and marriage to bless the red silk thread of the messenger.
If you are married, of course you have children. In Taiwan Province Province, the folk goddess in charge of fertility used to be the goddess of fertility and the goddess of waterfront. But because Mazu is a goddess, female believers will pray to Mazu whether they are seeking children, getting pregnant or giving birth.
On the way from Baishatun to Mazu, women often kneel on the road with flowers and exchange bouquets on the sacred sedan chair with Mazu, which is called "changing flowers". It is said that they can pray for boys and girls. "Flower" symbolizes "fetus" in the folk concept of Taiwan Province Province. Female believers prayed to Mazu in Baishatun to have children by "changing flowers", which became Mazu's new job.
After giving birth to a child, they are afraid that the child will be difficult to raise, and generally regard the fairy as the adoptive father. In order to pray for the safe growth of their children, they strengthen the relationship between children and the gods through deeds recognition, so as to get special care from the gods. The image of Mazu's loving mother has made many people let their children recognize Mazu as a "godmother" and establish a parent-child relationship in faith. Every year on the eve of Mazu's birthday, Mazuqi and his adopted daughter will go back to the temple to "change", renew their divine power and confirm their relationship.
Many Mazu Tempel cities in Taiwan Province Province have "Seven Huizi" and "One Women's Club" organized by seven sons and one woman, which provide services for Mazu and undertake cleaning, cooking and reception. They all pretend to be Mazu's children, not volunteers and volunteers, representing their special relationship with Mazu.
With the development of the times, the functions of Mazu belief in the early stage of land reclamation, such as escort, war aid, disaster relief, epidemic prevention, medical care, begging for rain and begging, have faded. These posts have been replaced by the army, fire stations, hospitals and meteorological bureaus, and are no longer dominated by Mazu. On the contrary, believers will pray to Mazu for personal family affairs, worries, work and other private affairs, because Mazu represents the mother and will care about everything of her children. Mazu is like a housewife.