Letter From Chiayi
Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage - when the devout gather despite the pandemic
The Taiwanese talk about sea goddess Mazu like she is a family member, a loved one
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Katherine Wei
I barely made it a few metres down a packed, noisy street in Xingang township when half a dozen hands stuck out from roadside tents, offering me bananas, bread, sticky rice dumplings and ice dessert. "Eat up, you'll need the energy!" an auntie said, pressing a steamed bun at me. Just like in a marathon, but also nothing like a marathon.
The revered sea goddess Mazu was on her annual pilgrimage in southern Taiwan, and the treats were for anyone who was a part of the nine-day journey - whether walking with the litter bearing Mazu's statue, performing, or just waiting to catch a glimpse of her as her procession passed by.