Dajia Mazu detour

Every March in the lunar calendar is Mazu’s birthday. Therefore, in this month, Mazu temples across Taiwan will hold a series of Mazu’s birthday circling activities, the most grand of which is the circling activities of Taichung Dajia Mazu and Baishatun Mazu The most grand. Every year, it attracts thousands of people to follow Mazu to go around the country for 9 days and 8 nights.
Dajia Mazu's pilgrimage is a nine-day and eight-night Dajia Mazu pilgrimage held every year in March of the lunar calendar by Lan Palace in Dajia Town, Dajia District, Taichung City, Taiwan. The end point is Xingang Fengtian Temple, Xingang Township, Chiayi County. The resident temples on the way are Changhua Nanyao Palace and Xiluo Fuxing Temple; on the return journey, the resident temples are Xiluo Fuxing Palace, Beidou Dian'an Temple, Changhua Tianhou Temple, and Qingshui Chaoxing Temple.

Taboo

Those who have been in mourning for less than one year, and those who have a funeral at home, are not allowed to enter the temple (those who keep filial piety). In addition, after the funeral of a grandfather, they can participate
Pregnant women should not sit in the sedan chair, lest the fetus be injured by gossip on the bottom of the sedan chair
You can't enter or leave the "monthly room", you can't be a woman who is confinement
Holders of pilgrimage flags or carrying safety symbols are not allowed to ride the sedan chair
Those who wear a "gown" are not allowed to enter the bathroom
Participants for the first time should wear new clothes (no old clothes) to show respect to the gods
Before departure, you must "purify your body", and you can only eat meat from the start of the driving banquet to the end of the birthday ceremony
No alcohol, no gambling, no sex during the incense
Do not get up or touch the sedan chair when sitting on the bottom of the sedan chair
Don't talk nonsense, say "please, thank you, sorry"


Bypass route

Outgoing journey:
Day 1: Dajia District → Qingshui District → Shalu District → Longjing District → Dadu District → Changhua City
Day 2: Changhua City → Huatan Township → Dacun Township → Yuanlin City → Yongjing Township → Tianwei Township → Beidou Township → Xizhou Township → Xiluo Township
Day 3: Xiluo Town → Erlun Township → Huwei Town → Tuku Town → Yuanchang Township → Xingang Township (via Beigang Guxiang Road)
Day 4: Xingang Fengtian Palace holds a birthday ceremony (8:00 a.m.)
return trip:
Day 5: Xingang Township → Yuanchang Township → Tuku Town → Huwei Town → Xiluo Town
Day 6: Xiluo Town→Xizhou Township→Pitou Township→Beidou Town
Day 7: Beidou Town → Tianwei Township → Yongjing Township → Yuanlin City → Dacun Township → Huatan Township → Changhua City
Day 8: Changhua City → Dadu District → Longjing District → Shalu District → Qingshui District
Day 9: Qingshui District→Waipu District→Dajia District

My own experience

I would like to follow Mazu to detour, but I am quite hesitant, because I have to walk for nine days in a row, from morning to night, and sleep on the floor everywhere at night. It really looks like an ascetic monk. But I still came. Because I heard a lot A miracle of Mazu, come on!
In fact, the time of participation can be freely chosen. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 9 days or only one day/half day/one hour, the most important thing is the intention. This is my third year of participation, and I always find If you walk along Mazu's standard route for a day, you will find a place with convenient transportation between two points. This time I chose the Taichung section. Come and feel the divine power of Mazu and the positive energy of the people along the way.


Many of the people who came to participate in the Mazu detour came with their families, relatives and friends, and company groups.

I even sometimes see some people with limited mobility come and go, I really admire their spirit.

Along the way, you will see that there are many shops on the side of the road that will provide some food for free, so that people who come around the border can replenish their energy. **It is true that walking is quite exhausting**
is to provide free tea to passers-by under the shade of trees on the side of the road. Pedestrians can take tea at will. It is a display of Taiwan's strong human touch. So this scene will also be seen during the Mazu detour.

I didn’t have enough time this time, so I chose to walk for half a day, and I can get these foods on the way. Of course, mineral water is the most, because I eat my stomach, but I always drink water.

What to do if you are tired from walking? In some places, there will be massage shops setting up stalls to help believers massage for free, and even merchants with ointment will give ointment for free massage. In fact, this is also a kind of publicity...

To participate in the Mazu detour, I hope to get some tokens blessed by Mazu, then I will get the sedan chair gold and the safety charm. I hope this year will be safe.

This is Mazu's leading regiment, we are here to "drill the bottom of the sedan chair", because you can lie on the ground and let Mazu's sedan chair pass by, and you can pray to Mazu. Before the sedan chair comes, you have to lie in a long line on the ground

Pass through and pull, many people follow the sedan chair. It is because Mazu often performs miracles, so many people hope to be blessed by Mazu

postscript

Coming to participate in the Mazu detour is actually a kind of persistence to oneself. After all, walking for a day is a kind of hardship. It is like an ascetic monk in India. So many people don’t want to leave after walking for 2 hours. I walked 5 in the first year. After an hour, I didn’t want to leave because my feet hurt. But I still “persisted”. Because there was nothing in the place where I was at that time, and I had to go to the next village to have more resources, so I went to the temple inside .
Whenever I want to give up, there will be people around me shouting "Come on", the people next to me are the positive energy for me. This is also the motivation to keep me going. So when everyone's hearts are positive energy, naturally After participating in this kind of activity, you will naturally be full of energy when you go to work.
Welcome everyone to experience it together next year...

Participating believers "give" their time + energy, and the people along the way "give" food. But they will get the merits and deeds between Mazu and the people. This is what religion wants to convey ""giving is more blessed than receiving""